Protests break out across Syria over fuel price increases
Protesters blocked major roads and tanker routes as the government said the hikes were temporary and tied to higher import costs and supply shortages.
- On Saturday, Syria's government raised diesel prices by 40% to 175 Syrian pounds a litre, sparking widespread protests across the country with demonstrators blocking highways linking Damascus to Aleppo.
- Energy Ministry spokesperson Abdulhamid Salat cited higher global procurement costs and Syria's heavy dependence on imports as drivers of the temporary increases; the Baniyas refinery's three-month maintenance closure compounded supply constraints.
- The United Nations Development Programme estimates 90% of Syrians live below the poverty line, while 95-octane gasoline prices have surged about 86% since February, deepening economic hardship across the nation.
- Protesters in Aleppo appealed directly to President Ahmed, with Bassam al-Ali stating, "We don't want new roundabouts or malls. We just want to live." Taxi driver Imad Abu Ras reported passengers already objecting to higher fares.
- Supply remains constrained as Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries have reduced production, prompting Moscow to restrict fuel exports. Damascus has relied on importing around 60,000 barrels per day of Russian crude this year, intensifying pressure on energy availability.
111 Articles
111 Articles
A STORM-busting rise in fuel prices over the weekend has sparked protests across Syria, in the most widespread demonstrations in the country since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad nearly two years ago.
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Fuel price protests rock Syria Protests rocked several regions of the country after the government on Sunday announced increases of up to 40% for diesel and 30% for gasoline. In Syria, fuels are priced and distributed by government-related energy companies. The price hike was a response to soaring oil prices caused by the war in Iran, as well as a long-term maintenance project that knocked one of Syria’s largest refiners offline. Syria’s oil ind…
Syria: Protesters demand the resignation of the Syrian Minister of Energy, who has sharply increased fuel prices. The Syrian government speaks of a…
They began by increasing the price of fuel, and by a still very precarious economic situation.
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