Syrians take to the streets over fuel price rise
Syrians are protesting across the country after the government raised diesel prices by 40% to 175 Syrian pounds per litre and gasoline by 30%. These demonstrations are the most widespread since the fall of Bashar al-Assad nearly two years ago. Protesters have blocked key roads, including the highway between Damascus and Aleppo, and burned tires to signal their dissent. The unrest stems from a severe cost-of-living crisis that has pushed a vast majority of the population into poverty.
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- ✓ Diesel prices increased by 40% to 175 Syrian pounds per litre.
- ✓ Protests have occurred across Syria in response to fuel price increases.
- ✓ Demonstrators blocked the highway linking Damascus to Aleppo.
- ✓ These are the widest protests in Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
What changed
The Syrian government implemented diesel and gasoline price increases of 40% and 30% respectively over the weekend.
Live updates
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Fuel Price Hikes Spark Widest Syrian Protests Since Assad Fall
Syrians are protesting across the country after the government raised diesel prices by 40% to 175 Syrian pounds per litre and gasoline by 30%. These demonstrations are the most widespread since the fall of Bashar al-Assad nearly two years ago. Protesters have blocked key roads, including the highway between Damascus and Aleppo, and burned tires to signal their dissent. The unrest stems from a severe cost-of-living crisis that has pushed a vast majority of the population into poverty.
Why it matters
The United Nations Development Programme estimates 90% of Syrians now live below the poverty line. This is a sharp increase from the one-third of the population impoverished before the civil war began in 2011.
What is confirmed
- Diesel prices increased by 40% to 175 Syrian pounds per litre.
- Protests have occurred across Syria in response to fuel price increases.
- Demonstrators blocked the highway linking Damascus to Aleppo.
- These are the widest protests in Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
Still unconfirmed
- Gasoline prices were increased by 30%.
- 90% of Syrians live below the poverty line according to the United Nations Development Programme.
What to watch next
- Government response to road blockades on the Damascus-Aleppo highway
- Further adjustments to fuel pricing or subsidies
- Reports on the scale of protests in other industrial hubs
confidence 90%Sources used for this update (10)
- markets.ft.com — Natural Gas
- Al Jazeera — Protests break out across Syria over fuel price increases
- reuters.com — Syria fuel price hikes trigger widest protests since Assad fall
- ft.com — Syrians take to the streets over fuel price rise
- The New York Times — Syrians Protest as Surge in Fuel Prices Adds to Cost-of-Living Crisis
- Crude Oil Prices Today | OilPrice.com — Syria Diesel Prices Jump 40% Triggering Widespread Unrest
- www.fbcnews.com.fj — Syria fuel price hikes trigger widest protests since Assad fall
- www.foxnews.com — Iran rejects new US talks unless Strait of Hormuz conditions are met
- www.yahoo.com — Syrians take to the streets over fuel price hikes, China cracks down on foreign travel for citizens, Panama Canal water levels threaten shipping
- www.fbcnews.com.fj — Three new permanent secretaries appointed
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