Damascus, Syria – The fuel price hike hit at midnight on Sunday. By Monday morning, frustration had poured into the streets, sparking open defiance across Syria. A sudden government decree drove diesel prices up by 40 percent overnight and petrol by 28 percent. For millions of Syrians, the price increase is a direct threat to their survival.
Demonstrators quickly gathered in public squares from Aleppo and Idlib in the north to Hama in central Syria and Deraa in the south, burning tyres and blocking key roads – including the main highway between Damascus and Aleppo. The initial wave of demonstrations has since eased in some areas, but the anger has not disappeared. On Wednesday, protesters in northeastern Syria blocked the M4 highway near Tal Tamr, stranding hundreds of oil tankers. Demonstrators said they would not reopen the route unless the price increases were reversed.
Beyond the protests, a black market for diesel is booming. Syrian security units have started intercepting tankers caught heading to unlicensed refineries to fill up on illegal fuel. The anger stems from the immediate fallout from the government’s decision, which comes on the back of the high international price of oil, largely a result of the consequences of the United States-Israel war on Iran. The United Nations estimates that nearly 90 percent of Syrians live below the poverty line; any jump in fuel costs instantly drives up the price of transport and basic food.
And Sunday’s hike came on top of repeated increases. Since February, the price of 95-octane petrol has risen by about 86 percent, while diesel has more than doubled. Over the same period, benchmark Brent crude rose by about 44 percent. It all comes as Syria continues its recovery from a devastating, more than decade-long war, which only ended with the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
The new government has been attempting to improve the country’s economy, including by successfully working to remove most of the international sanctions that had been placed on the country for years. But for many Syrians, economic improvements are not coming fast enough. In Damascus, minibuses – a lifeline for the working class – raised fares immediately from 30 to 45 cents. Drivers say their margins are practically gone.
One US dollar is equivalent to about 130 new Syrian pounds. Adel Ali Meree, a bus driver, worked an eight-hour shift only to see his earnings swallowed by the fuel tank. “I spent all my money on diesel. I only have four and a half dollars left,” he explained. “At the end of the day, I might earn only $10. I could make this money doing any other kind of work.
It’s just not worth it.” Larger operators face the same grim maths. Bashar Sleiman operates a tour bus that needs 90 litres of diesel daily. With the price hikes, the cost to fill his tank jumped from the equivalent of $84 to $120. His company hasn’t yet finalised a new pricing structure, but he expects to increase his usual $110-$125 daily rate by at least $15 to cover the increased costs. “If a tourist comes thinking they will spend $1,500, they will need more,” Sleiman said. “The hotels, food, transportation, and a tour guide will all get more expensive.
Traffic has been a bit lighter the last couple of days, but this won’t last. Nobody can afford not to generate an income.” Cross-border routes are also taking a hit. Ahmed Sweid drives a 25-passenger bus for the Shaheen transport company, running between Idlib and Beirut. A round trip now requires $280 in diesel alone.
So far, the company has kept its ticket price at $40, relying on fully booked buses to absorb the financial blow, but operators remain anxious. At local markets, the crisis is just as obvious. In the Mezzeh neighbourhood of Damascus, produce seller Ahmed Obeid said his delivery freight charges had tripled overnight, jumping from $4 to $12 a load. “When fuel prices go up, transport costs go up,” Obeid said. “That extra cost is passed on to the consumer. But people don’t have money.” Damascus officials blame the high cost of securing fuel internationally.
The Ministry of Energy says Syria currently produces about 100,000 barrels of crude oil a day, while the domestic market needs roughly 300,000 to 325,000 barrels of oil and petroleum products, leaving the country heavily reliant on imports. It says about 60 percent of Syria’s diesel supply is currently imported. Syria’s People’s Assembly was set to question Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir over the price increases on Thursday, but on Wednesday said that the session had been postponed until September 20 as the ministry needed more time to prepare. The government does insist the price hikes are temporary.
But for Syrians dealing with ruined infrastructure and massive inflation, waiting for global markets to stabilise isn’t an option. For a population just trying to buy groceries, a “temporary” shock is simply too long to survive.
