Widespread public frustration over escalating living costs and government austerity measures is mounting across Syria, presenting President Ahmed al-Sharaa with his most severe domestic challenge since taking power two years ago.
Protests broke out across the country last month after the authorities announced further increases to fuel prices. Demonstrators burned tyres and blocked roads in the largest demonstrations seen since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, prompting officials to reverse the decision days later as fresh rallies loomed. The government stated that energy market pressures stemming from the US-Iran war had contributed to the price rise.
The unrest followed a series of economic measures implemented by the transitional administration, which has eliminated long-standing subsidies in an austerity effort to revive the economy. The price of bread has multiplied tenfold, electricity charges have increased several hundred per cent for some households, and fuel has been aligned with international rates.
Although public sector wages and pensions were raised to offset inflation, setting the minimum monthly wage at roughly $90, the adjustments have failed to keep pace with soaring expenses. The United Nations Development Programme reported that 90% of Syrians lived in poverty last year, while aid agencies have simultaneously scaled back relief operations due to funding shortages.
In Damascus and surrounding districts, families report cutting back on food and electricity to cope with basic expenses. Nabil al-Remhein, a 63-year-old pensioner whose four adult children are unemployed, said his family had reduced their consumption to a single meal each day. "We're suffocating under rising costs," he said, adding that his latest electricity bill equalled about a third of the household income.
The Sharaa administration has secured several diplomatic milestones, including the lifting of Assad-era international sanctions and removal from the United States list of state sponsors of terrorism. Government forces also recaptured the country's resource-rich north-east from a Kurdish-led militia earlier this year, though Druze groups control parts of the south and Israel occupies territory in the south-west.
However, broader economic recovery remains stalled. The World Bank estimates Syria requires $216bn to rebuild after a war that killed half a million people and displaced half the population. Dr Haid Haid, a consulting fellow at Chatham House, described the crisis as "one of the most dangerous issues" confronting the government, warning that new market policies had been implemented without accounting for the impact on citizens.
