Fuel price hikes spark widespread protests across Syria

Protests have erupted across Syria following a government announcement on Saturday that significantly increased fuel prices. These demonstrations represent the most widespread public unrest in the country since the toppling of Bashar al-Assad nearly two years ago.

The government’s decision included a 40% increase in the price of diesel, bringing it to 175 Syrian pounds per litre. Additionally, the cost of 95-octane gasoline rose by 28% to 195 pounds, while 90-octane gasoline increased by 26% to 185 pounds. Household and industrial gas prices were also raised by approximately 9%.

In response to the hikes, demonstrators have taken to the streets in various locations, burning tyres and obstructing major transportation routes. Among the blocked thoroughfares is the critical highway that connects the capital, Damascus, to the industrial centre of Aleppo. Protesters have also intercepted convoys of crude oil tankers as they travelled toward refineries located in the central region of the country.

The unrest has been driven by the severe economic strain currently facing the Syrian population. According to estimates from the United Nations Development Programme, 90% of Syrians are now living below the poverty line, a significant increase from the approximately one-third of the population living in poverty before the civil war began in 2011.

Participants in the protests have voiced specific demands, including the dismissal of the ministers of energy and economy, as well as the head of the Syrian Petroleum Company. Some demonstrators have expressed that their primary concern is the reduction of fuel costs rather than wage increases, while others have issued direct appeals to President Ahmed al-Sharaa to address the current economic conditions.