Syrians on Monday held demonstrations in various parts of the country for the second consecutive day over the government’s decision to increase fuel prices due to the Middle East war.
They mark the first such protest since the Islamist authorities seized power after ousting longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, under whom demonstrations were strictly prohibited.
Protesters gathered in the city of Maarat al-Numan in the northwestern province of Idlib, briefly cutting off the main road with burning tyres.
“We want them to bring fuel prices back to their previous level. Winter is coming; how are the poor going to live and keep warm?” said taxi driver Fateh Hamsho, 67.
Other protests took place in Hasakeh in the northeast, in Atarib and Azaz in the north and in Khan Shaykhun in the west, according to AFP correspondents.
Syrian authorities on Sunday announced a hike in fuel prices amid global surges due to the Middle East war, which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February and quickly engulfed other countries in the region.
The war has seen oil infrastructure damaged in several Gulf countries, with key waterways choking imports.
The price of diesel in Syria went from 125 Syrian pounds ($1) per litre to 175, a 40 per cent increase, while petrol prices saw a 26 per cent increase.
The UN said 90 per cent of Syrians lived below the poverty line by the end of 2024, with the minimum wage in the country standing at around 12,560 pounds ($103).
The Syrian parliament on Thursday will hold a hearing for Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir to explain the reasons behind the hike.
Protests were previously banned under Assad, whose violent crackdown on demonstrations against his rule in 2011 led to a 13-year civil war.
Speaking to state television, Abdul Hamid Salat, head of the energy ministry’s media department, said on Sunday that the price hikes were “temporary” and linked to global markets and the Iran war.
He said Syria currently relies heavily on imports to meet its fuel needs, making these products more costly as prices rise on global markets.
Syria currently produces around 100,000 barrels of oil per day, well below domestic demand of between 300,000 and 325,000 barrels per day, Salat said.
AFP
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