The French Lafarge Admits Financing ISIS: Why Does France Support Terrorist in Middle East and Africa?

In the Justice Department's first-ever prosecution in a case involving corporate material support for terrorism, the French Lafarge company and its Syrian affiliate acknowledge entering into a revenue-sharing agreement with ISIS and agree to pay $778 million fines.

A group of international media reports revealed France's involvement in terrorist crimes committed in the Middle East and Africa, as the US judiciary officially condemned the financing of the French company Lafarge of the terrorist organization ISIS, which contributed to strengthening the influence of this terrorist movement in the world.

 

Admitting the Accusations

The French cement giant, Lafarge, pleaded guilty in the face of the accusations leveled against it in court, as the French group admitted aiding the terrorist organization ISIS in Syria on clear orders from the Elysee Palace, which was looking for a foothold in the country.

The financial penalty imposed by the American court includes a fine of $91 million, in addition to the confiscation of $687 million, after years of judicial investigations that followed a major political controversy in France over Paris' involvement in financing ISIS.

Deputy Public Prosecutor, Lisa Monaco, announced in press statements after pleading guilty on October 25 that this is the first time that a global company has admitted its responsibility in supporting terrorist organizations, adding that the French company not only violated international laws but also helped a violent terrorist organization by financial means.

The French cement giant admitted paying nearly $17 million to the terrorist organization ISIS between 2012 and 2014, according to an official statement published on its website.

 

Against Terrorism Slogans

In an interview with Al-Estiklal, the human rights activist Asmaa said: "France does not tolerate terrorism is the widespread slogan used by all French politicians and media. Yet, the truth is something else. All cards are allowed to be used to protect France's interests, even at the expense of the stability of countries and the safety of peoples."

She added: "However, the strange and funny thing is the idea that an American court accuses France of supporting and financing ISIS! And America itself is accused of being the one who created and founded ISIS by high-ranking American officials."

She emphasized: "The statements of the former employee of the US National Security Agency, Edward Snowden, who made it clear in his documents that the American, British, and Israeli intelligence services bear the responsibility for creating ISIS, pointing out that the organization's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, underwent intensive military training for a whole year by the Israeli Mossad, in parallel with receiving lessons in theology."

She stressed: "The junior US Senator from Kentucky, Rand Paul, also accused the US government of providing indirect support to ISIS in the Syrian civil war by supporting its allies and fighting its enemies in that country. The conclusion is that major countries such as America and France help armed organizations and fight proxy wars in conflict areas around the world. They use the slogan of fighting terrorism and terrorists whenever it comes to protecting their interests."

 

Interests First

The French funding for the terrorist organization ISIS is similar to the case that erupted in Mali, as the latter's foreign minister accused the Elysee Palace of supporting terrorist organizations in the African Sahel, which harmed the security and stability of the region and claimed hundreds of lives.

From within the United Nations, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said that France committed flagrant violations in Mali's airspace to collect intelligence information to destabilize the country, stressing that it helped many terrorist organizations to maintain their influence in the region.

The diplomatic official added, in shocking statements that revealed France's involvement in supporting terrorist groups in the region after its influence declined in Africa, that "Mali has all the evidence that condemns France in this case," noting that Paris "spied on Mali to destabilize it."

 

Spread of Armed Groups

At a press conference on February 17, 2022, about the situation in Mali on the sidelines of the Europe-Africa Conference organized by the French Development Agency in Paris. Macron said: "What would have happened in 2013 if France had not intervened? We would certainly have witnessed the collapse of the Malian state," stressing that "our soldiers have achieved many successes," including the elimination of the emir of al-Qaeda in the Maghreb in June 2020.

But a brief look at the course of the French war against terrorism in Africa confirms that France is the reason for the growth of armed movements classified as terrorist organizations and their expansion on the continent.

When France launched Operation Barkhane in 2014, al-Qaeda was the only organized terrorist organization located on the territory of the African Sahel region, through its wing known as Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb country in the Sahara desert.

The influence of ISIS in Africa has grown since 2014, and six African branches of ISIS were formed in Africa. The first three started in 2014 in Libya, Algeria, and the Sinai region in Egypt, and a year later, the Islamic State of West Africa was formed, and it has branches in the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel.

Then a small group in Somalia pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2018, and a year later, in 2019, the Islamic Central Africa province was formed in Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. By 2019, at least 22 African countries witnessed suspected activity linked to the Islamic State, which led to a surge in violence in the region, with violence spreading from northern Mali to the center of the country, east to Niger, south to Burkina Faso, and up to the Gulf of Guinea.