Story perspectives

Syria hikes fuel prices up to 40%, sparks protests

By Drooid · Sep 14, 2026, 3:32 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Syria Raises Fuel

Syria raised diesel up to 40% (to 175 pounds/L) and gasoline 28%, prompting protests in eight provinces.
Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said production is 102,000 barrels daily, far below the 325,000-barrel need.
Transport drivers halted services and demanded higher fares to offset the fuel surge.
Security forces used live ammunition at roadblocks in Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor.

Summary

Mazloum Abdi Arrives

Presidential adviser Mazloum Abdi arrived in Kobane to meet senior officials after the prison fire.
Seven inmates died and dozens were injured when the Kobane prison fire broke out during a riot.
A 72-hour curfew was imposed, and security forces blocked all city roads.
Security forces shouted nationalist slogans and fired warning shots.
SOHR blamed the al-Baggara Sunni Arab tribe for abducting and killing Kurdish soldier Sipan Hizni.

History

Historical Context

By 2010, oil supplied roughly 25 % of Syria’s state revenue ($3.2 billion) while a severe 2006-2011 drought had already pushed poverty above 30 %. Bashar al-Assad’s market-opening reforms and rising fuel costs heightened economic grievances, and the same pattern of sudden diesel price hikes across the country resurfaces in 2024, echoing the earlier shock.

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Syria Raises Fuel

Syria raised diesel up to 40% (to 175 pounds/L) and gasoline 28%, prompting protests in eight provinces.
Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said production is 102,000 barrels daily, far below the 325,000-barrel need.
Transport drivers halted services and demanded higher fares to offset the fuel surge.
Security forces used live ammunition at roadblocks in Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor.

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