Widespread protests against fuel price hikes

Several regions across Syria are witnessing popular protests and road blockades in opposition to fuel price hikes, following the implementation of a new pricing schedule for petroleum products at midnight on September 13.

According to local media platforms and accounts, the town of Al-Tayyana in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor saw protests and the burning of tires in front of the municipal building. Similar actions took place in areas of the Hasaka countryside—including Markada, Al-Shaddadi, and the "Area 47" district—to protest rising fuel prices and deteriorating living and service conditions.

Online platforms circulated footage showing a motorcyclist in Hasaka setting his bike on fire in protest against fuel prices, while protesters in the "Area 47" district blocked the M4 highway, preventing crude oil tankers from passing. Burning tires were also used to block the Deir ez-Zor–Aleppo highway near the city of Raqqa.

Additionally, many bus terminals in Hasaka province were left empty as drivers went on strike, bringing travel and transportation to a halt.

Protests are expected to erupt in several other areas—including Hama, Homs, Idlib, the Aleppo countryside, and Manbij—driven by the new fuel price increases and the associated rise in transportation, labor, and service costs.

The Petroleum Derivatives Pricing Committee issued a new price schedule today, effective from midnight on September 13. Under the new rates, the price per liter was set at 195 Syrian pounds for 95-octane gasoline, 185 pounds for 90-octane gasoline, and 175 pounds for diesel. Meanwhile, the price for a domestic gas cylinder was set at 1,600 pounds, industrial gas at 2,560 pounds, and a ton of fuel oil at 52,800 pounds.

This latest hike follows a previous increase earlier in September, when prices stood at 152 pounds per liter for 95-octane gasoline, 147 pounds for 90-octane gasoline, and 125 pounds for diesel, while domestic gas cost 1,470 pounds and industrial gas 2,350 pounds.

The new price increase has sparked criticism and calls—voiced via local accounts and platforms—to reconsider the pricing. Demands have been raised to take citizens' purchasing power into account and to mitigate the impact of rising fuel costs on transportation, production, and market prices.

In Hasaka Governorate, these protests coincide with the suspension—now in effect for over ten days—of the fuel subsidy system previously implemented by the Autonomous Administration. This suspension, which particularly affects service sectors such as generators, bakeries, and transportation, has exacerbated the impact of the price hikes on these sectors.

Sh-S

ANHA