Syria fuel price protests expose deepening cost-of-living crisis
Syrians took to the streets over a fuel price rise last month, the biggest unrest since Ahmed al-Sharaa became president, as bread costs soar and poverty deepens.
At a glance
- Syria's government raised fuel prices last month, triggering the largest protests since Ahmed al-Sharaa became president two years ago.
- The increase was revoked days later, but bread prices have risen tenfold and the UNDP said 90% of Syrians were in poverty last year.
- The World Bank estimates reconstruction costs at $216bn, and an economist warned the situation is unsustainable.
Protests broke out in squares and streets across Syria last month after the government raised fuel prices again — the largest show of discontent yet since President Ahmed al-Sharaa came to power two years ago. Demonstrators burned tyres, blocked roads and chanted slogans. Days later, amid calls for further demonstrations, the increase was revoked.
A growing cost-of-living crisis
The fuel rise was the latest in a series of measures Syrians blame for a worsening cost-of-living crisis. For many, life has become financially harder since rebels led by al-Sharaa ousted President Bashar al-Assad, ending five decades of his family's rule and more than 13 years of civil war.
Al-Sharaa has led Syria's transition and efforts to revive a broken economy after long periods of mismanagement, isolation and conflict. But the rapid improvement many hoped for after Assad's overthrow has not materialised, and the handling of the economy has frustrated many Syrians.
The government has slashed long-held subsidies as part of an austerity drive. The price of bread, a Syrian staple, has increased tenfold. Fuel prices are now in line with the international average, putting pressure on farmers and making transportation more expensive, while electricity costs have risen several hundred per cent for some. Public sector wages and pensions have been adjusted, but the effect of the extra pay has been lost as prices keep rising.
The United Nations Development Programme said 90% of Syrians were in poverty last year.
"We've suffered a lot"
In a suburb of Damascus, Fatima Saleh Eid, 50, a cleaner, did her weekly shop at an open-air market. "We eat more sparingly now. We can't afford chicken anymore nor meat. We only eat vegetables but even [that is] expensive," she said. Around a dozen people gathered as she spoke. One elderly man said he had stopped eating meat; a man in his 20s said his family could no longer pay for his father's heart medicine; a young woman said she and her four children could afford a proper meal only every two days.
Marwan Bashour, a 68-year-old pensioner, said his monthly pay was around $90 (£70), the public sector minimum wage. "It's not enough at all," he said, describing how he borrows money and sells household items. Aid agencies he once relied on have cut back services because of funding cuts.
Gains, but no recovery yet
Al-Sharaa has scored some important gains. Assad-era international sanctions have been lifted, and the US has removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. The country feels more stable, although security remains volatile, and the president has consolidated power, retaking the resource-rich north-east from a Kurdish-led militia earlier this year.
Real economic recovery, however, is yet to happen. Large parts of Syria remain in ruins after a war that killed half a million people and displaced half the population, and the World Bank estimates reconstruction costs at $216bn. Without foreign help and investment, rebuilding will be impossible.
Samir Aita, a Syrian economist who heads the Paris-based Circle of Arab Economists, said the crisis was a "combination of policies with the [government] not managing expectations and creating unrealistic hopes". Asked about the future, he said: "It's unsustainable. If they don't change, I fear chaos."
Cab driver Abu Mahmoud said: "They inherited the country bankrupt, so people need to be patient. Things don't happen overnight."
The authorities say they support citizens' demands, according to the source.
Source: BBC World.
Questions and answers
- Why are Syrians protesting?
- They are angry at a government decision to raise fuel prices, the latest in a series of measures they blame for a worsening cost-of-living crisis. The increase was revoked days later amid calls for further demonstrations.
- How much have prices risen in Syria?
- Bread prices have increased tenfold and electricity costs have gone up several hundred per cent for some, after the government cut long-held subsidies. The UNDP said 90% of Syrians were in poverty last year.
- What has Ahmed al-Sharaa achieved since taking power?
- Assad-era international sanctions have been lifted and the US removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, and the country feels more stable. But real economic recovery has not yet happened.
