The sight of protesters blocking roads and burning tyres on the streets of several Syrian cities and towns has highlighted popular anger over a government decision to increase fuel prices and a wider cost-of-living crisis. The protests, which erupted on Sunday, come after months of complaints about soaring energy costs and criticisms that the lives of many Syrians have not improved since the fall of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024. The Syrian government has defended its efforts, arguing that it will take time to overcome decades of economic stagnation and international isolation.
The trigger for Sunday’s protests was a government announcement that diesel prices would rise by 40 percent, petrol by at least 25 percent and cooking gas around nine percent. The government said the increases were temporary and caused by a spike in refined petroleum products following the US-Israeli war on Iran and renewed hostilities in Yemen. However, the Syrian parliament has summoned Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir for a hearing on rising fuel costs, a sign that officials were concerned by the public outcry.
When anti-regime forces overthrew al-Assad’s government, much of the country erupted in celebration. It came after more than a decade of war and the 50-year rule of the al-Assad family, which had led to international sanctions on the country. Aside from expectations that freedoms would increase after the fall of the regime, which operated as a police state, many Syrians also hoped the country’s dire economic conditions would improve.
That has been a tough task for the new Syrian government, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Since coming to power 21 months ago, the government has focussed on securing international legitimacy and lifting the complex network of sanctions placed on Syria. On that front, it has largely been successful.
In August, Syria was removed from the US state sponsors of terrorism list, building on earlier decisions to lift sanctions by the US, the European Union and other world powers. This allowed for Syria to be reintegrated into the world economy and receive increased foreign investment. There has been optimism in Syria, but while the government insists that the positive impact of the removal of sanctions and other government actions will take time, patience has run out for some.
Much of the anger is also coming from areas that backed the change of government, making this the kind of discontent a government can answer only with results.” Syria’s poverty rate is around 90 percent, according to the UN’s World Food Programme. The rise in fuel costs has a universal impact, affecting the price of transport but also food and other services. Syria remains highly dependent on energy imports.
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