Lafarge faces new terrorism lawsuit

Hundreds of Yazidi Americans have launched a lawsuit against Lafarge, accusing it of supporting violence carried out by ISIL (ISIS). According to Aljazeera news, the cement producer is accused of abetting violence and terrorism by providing supplies for the construction of tunnels and prisons. The lawsuit was filed in New York on 14 December, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad. 

The lawsuit reportedly states that Lafarge “aided and abetted ISIS’s acts of international terrorism and conspired with ISIS and its intermediaries” with the plaintiffs demanding that the company pays compensation to the survivors. Aljazeera reports that Lafarge has admitted to a conspiracy that aided ISIL by providing millions of dollars of cash to the group and is alleged to have provided ISIL with cement to construct underground tunnels and bunkers used to shelter ISIL members and hold hostages, including captured Yazidis.

This is not the first time the company has faced such accusations with families of US soldiers and aid workers killed by ISIL having filed a similar lawsuit in July this year. October 2022 also saw Lafarge plead guilty to making payments to terrorist groups, including ISIL, to enable its cement production facilities in Syria to continue operating.