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Protests against fuel price increases spread across Syria for a second consecutive day on Monday, with demonstrators blocking roads and oil tanker routes in several provinces and calling for the dismissal of Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir, as parliament summoned him to appear before a hearing on Thursday.
More than 50 members of Syria’s People’s Assembly signed a request on Sunday demanding the energy committee question al-Bashir over the price hikes and their impact on living conditions.
The assembly confirmed on Monday that the hearing had been set for Thursday at noon local time (11 am CEST).
Fuel prices rose by 25% to 40% after Syria’s standing committee for the pricing of petroleum products issued a new temporary price list that took effect at midnight on Sunday.
The price of a litre of 95-octane petrol rose from 152 to 195 new Syrian pounds, 90-octane from 147 to 185 pounds, and diesel from 125 to 175 pounds — an increase of 40%. A household gas cylinder rose from 1,470 to 1,600 pounds.
100 Syrian pounds is about 1 eurocent, but the average net monthly salary in Syria varies widely by sector and can amount to just €50 to €60, according to publicly available figures.
The government of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has increased the minimum wage by 550% in March, as part of a broader recovery plan for the Middle Eastern country whose years-long civil war devastated most of its economy and resulted in the deaths of more than 580,000 people, with another 13.5 million displaced.
Protests were reported in Hasakah, Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, Aleppo, Idlib and Daraa. In Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor, demonstrators blocked roads used by crude oil tankers and cut the al-Suway’iya bridge crossing between Syria and Iraq near al-Bukamal.
In the city of al-Shahil, residents blocked the road leading to the al-Omar oilfield, preventing tankers from passing.
In Raqqa, truck and haulage drivers staged a sit-in outside a grain storage centre, with the road to the silos remaining blocked on Monday.
In Idlib province, protesters blocked the M5 motorway near Maaret al-Numan, while video circulating online showed a night-time demonstration in the city of Idlib with crowds demanding al-Bashir’s removal.
Local sources reported that a young man in Hasakah province attempted to set himself on fire in protest at the price increases and worsening living conditions before bystanders intervened. Video of a separate incident showed another man threatening to burn his car. Euronews could not independently confirm these reports.
Al-Bashir said on Saturday the price rise was needed to bridge a gap between the cost of importing petroleum products and their domestic selling prices.
Syria produces approximately 102,000 barrels of oil per day against domestic demand of around 325,000 barrels, leaving it heavily dependent on imports, he said.
Major maintenance work at the Baniyas refinery in the southern Tartus governorate has further reduced domestic refining capacity, requiring additional imports of finished petroleum products.
The ministry said it would review prices as global market conditions change and the refinery returns to full capacity. Oil prices have risen above $100 a barrel in recent days amid disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz linked to the Iran war and Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.