Protests broke out across several parts of Syria on September 13 after a sharp government-imposed increase in fuel prices came into effect. The unrest began in the northeast of the country before spreading to Aleppo and Idlib.

In Aleppo, dozens of people gathered in the Tariq al-Bab neighbourhood, where protesters set tyres on fire. Demonstrations were also reported in Azaz and al-Bab, in the Aleppo countryside.

Several major roads blocked

In eastern Syria, protests spread across the governorates of Hasakah, Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor. In Markada, south of Hasakah, residents blocked the main road connecting Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor. Other roadblocks were set up near al-Shaddadi, along routes used by trucks carrying crude oil.

In Deir ez-Zor governorate, similar protests were reported in al-Tayana and al-Hreijiyeh, while in Raqqa, demonstrators blocked the main Deir ez-Zor–Aleppo highway. Several groups also prevented crude oil tankers from travelling towards other parts of the country.

The protests later spread to Idlib, where demonstrators blocked the M5 Aleppo–Damascus highway near Maarat al-Nouman, one of Syria’s main transport arteries.

The unrest follows a 40% increase in the price of diesel, from 125 to 175 new Syrian pounds per litre, while the price of 95-octane petrol rose from 152 to 195 pounds. The price of a domestic gas cylinder was also increased from 1,470 to 1,600 pounds.

A test for al-Sharaa’s government

Syria’s Energy Ministry says the price increases are temporary, citing higher petroleum product prices on international markets as well as maintenance work at the Banias refinery, which is expected to last around two months.

The crisis also highlights Syria’s persistent energy vulnerability. According to the ministry, the country requires around 300,000 barrels of crude oil and petroleum products per day, while domestic production stands at only about 100,000 barrels per day, leaving Syria heavily dependent on imports.

Beyond the energy issue itself, the protests represent one of the first major socio-economic tests for Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government. After spending its first months focused largely on political stabilisation, diplomacy and attracting investment back into the country, the new leadership is now facing Syrians’ far more immediate concerns: prices, wages, fuel, transport, electricity and living conditions.

How Damascus responds to the protests will therefore be closely watched. It will provide an early indication of whether the new authorities can turn diplomatic progress and reconstruction pledges into tangible improvements in people’s daily lives, without triggering a broader wave of social discontent.

Source: Enab Baladi