A sharp increase in fuel prices has triggered widespread protests across Syria, marking the broadest demonstrations since the fall of Bashar al-Assad nearly two years ago.
Protesters burned tyres and blocked major roads, including the highway linking Damascus and Aleppo, after the government raised diesel prices by 40 percent at the weekend. Other energy products were also increased, including household and industrial gas as well as two grades of petrol.
The increases have intensified pressure on households already struggling with a prolonged economic crisis. The United Nations Development Programme estimates that about 90 percent of Syrians now live below the poverty line, compared with roughly one third before the civil war began in 2011.
Some demonstrators called for the dismissal of senior officials responsible for energy and economic policy, while others blocked crude-oil tankers travelling towards refineries in central Syria. Protesters said the rising cost of fuel was already feeding through into transport fares and the prices of basic goods.
Syrian authorities said the increases were temporary and reflected higher global procurement costs as well as the country’s dependence on imported energy. Officials also cited pressure on Russian fuel supplies and the closure of Syria’s largest refinery at Baniyas for extensive maintenance.
Diesel prices have more than doubled in recent months, while 95-octane petrol has risen sharply since February. The latest increases come amid broader volatility in global oil markets and continuing regional tensions.
Source: Reuters
Featured image credit: REUTERS/Mahmoud Hassano.
