Syria fuel price hikes test public patience with economic recovery
Anger rises in Syrian cities as fuel price hikes burden struggling households amid an ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
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 protests show that Syrians increasingly hold their own government responsible for what they pay,” Nanar Hawach, a Syrian political analyst, told Al Jazeera. “Sanctions relief weakened the argument that hardship comes from outside and raised expectations at the same time. 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.”