Mass protests erupt in Syria over sharp fuel price hike
Syria has seen its largest protests since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad nearly two years ago, following a sharp increase in fuel prices. According to the Jerusalem Post, demonstrators burned tires and blocked key highways, including the route between the capital Damascus and the industrial center of Aleppo.
On Saturday, Syrian authorities raised the price of diesel fuel by 40%, to 175 Syrian pounds, or $1.32 per liter. Prices for household and industrial gas rose by about 9%, for A-95 gasoline by 28%, to 195 pounds per liter, and for A-90 by 26%, to 185 pounds.
Road blockades and protesters' demands
Protesters also blocked convoys of tanker trucks carrying crude oil to refineries in the central part of the country. Some demonstrators demanded the resignation of the energy and economy ministers, as well as the head of the Syrian Petroleum Company.
Aleppo resident Yasser Salim told Reuters that protesters are not demanding wage increases, but want lower prices for diesel fuel and other types of fuel. Another participant in the protest, Bassam al-Ali, appealed to President Ahmed al-Sharaa and called the situation unbearable.
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Authorities' explanation and supply problems
Energy Ministry spokesperson Abdulhamid Salat said the price increase was a temporary measure. According to him, it was caused by higher global procurement costs and Syria's significant dependence on imports, and prices may be revised depending on changing conditions.
Syria imported about 60,000 barrels of Russian oil per day this year. Supplies came under pressure after Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil refineries reduced production, while the Russian Federation, an aggressor state, restricted exports of gasoline and diesel fuel. The shortage was also exacerbated by the three-month closure of the country's largest Baniyas refinery for comprehensive maintenance.
Since February, the price of A-95 gasoline in Syria has increased by about 86%, while diesel fuel has more than doubled in price. The United Nations Development Programme estimates that 90% of Syrians live below the poverty line, compared with around one-third of the population before the start of the civil war in 2011.
