Syria fuel price hikes test public patience with economic recovery

xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoA protester in Aleppo burns tyres on the highway between Aleppo and Turkey to protest rising fuel prices in Syria, September 13, 2026 [Mahmoud Hassano/Reuters]By Justin SalhaniPublished On 14 Sep 202614 Sep 2026The sight of protesters blocking roads and burning tyres on the streets of several Syrian cities and towns has highlighted popular anger over a government decision to increase fuel prices and a wider cost-of-living crisis.

The protests, which erupted on Sunday, come after months of complaints about soaring energy costs and criticisms that the lives of many Syrians have not improved since the fall of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024.

The Syrian government has defended its efforts, arguing that it will take time to overcome decades of economic stagnation and international isolation.

The trigger for Sunday’s protests was a government announcement that diesel prices would rise by 40 percent, petrol by at least 25 percent and cooking gas around nine percent.

The government said the increases were temporary and caused by a spike in refined petroleum products following the US-Israeli war on Iran and renewed hostilities in Yemen. However, the Syrian parliament has summoned Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir for a hearing on rising fuel costs, a sign that officials were concerned by the public outcry.

When anti-regime forces overthrew al-Assad’s government, much of the country erupted in celebration.

It came after more than a decade of war and the 50-year rule of the al-Assad family, which had led to international sanctions on the country.

Aside from expectations that freedoms would increase after the fall of the regime, which operated as a police state, many Syrians also hoped the country’s dire economic conditions would improve.

That has been a tough task for the new Syrian government, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Since coming to power 21 months ago, the government has focussed on securing international legitimacy and lifting the complex network of sanctions placed on Syria.

On that front, it has largely been successful.

In August, Syria was removed from the US state sponsors of terrorism list, building on earlier decisions to lift sanctions by the US, the European Union and other world powers. This allowed for Syria to be reintegrated into the world economy and receive increased foreign investment.

There has been optimism in Syria, but while the government insists that the positive impact of the removal of sanctions and other government actions will take time, patience has run out for some.

“Fuel itself is not an isolated energy issue right now; it’s related to the cost of living crisis for every household and business in Syria,” Vittorio Maresca di Serracapriola, sanctions lead analyst at Karam Shaar Advisory, told Al Jazeera. “The anger right now reflects a deeper concern that the recovery stemming from the sanctions relief and Syria’s gradual reconnection with the global financial system is not yet translating into affordable [prices].”

“The protests show that Syrians increasingly hold their own government responsible for what they pay,” Nanar Hawach, a Syrian political analyst, told Al Jazeera. “Sanctions relief weakened the argument that hardship comes from outside and raised expectations at the same time. Much of the anger is also coming from areas that backed the change of government, making this the kind of discontent a government can answer only with results.”

Syria’s poverty rate is around 90 percent, according to the UN’s World Food Programme. The rise in fuel costs has a universal impact, affecting the price of transport but also food and other services.

“A 40 percent diesel hike is not just inconvenient; it is really a threat to [people’s] economic survival on a daily basis,” Maresca di Serracapriola said.

Syria remains highly dependent on energy imports. The country produces around 102,000 barrels of oil per day, compared with domestic needs of around 325,000 barrels per day, al-Bashir said. Syria refines some of its crude domestically but its refineries cannot produce enough petroleum products to meet demands, forcing it to import substantial quantities of diesel, petrol and other fuels.

The Syrian government said it was working on an overhaul of the Baniyas refinery – the country’s largest – in the hope that it will raise processing capacity at the facility from around 80,000 to 130,000 barrels per day.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Energy said prices would continue to be reviewed as global market conditions change. It also said it would work over the long term to expand refining and storage capacity.

Authorities will now look for ways to temper public anger.

Hawach suggested a “protected diesel price for public transport and farmers”, as well as the government announcing dates for when temporary price increases would end.

“[This] would likely cost the treasury less than the concessions it has tended to make after protesters block roads, and would give people a reason to wait rather than take to the streets,” he said.

The protests have come about as the Syrian government attempts to rebuild the country after a war that devastated much of the country and killed hundreds of thousands of people.

Sanctions removal has borne some fruit: the World Bank approved around $491m in grants to Syria to support infrastructure and economic development since last year.

Still, after a July visit, the International Monetary Fund recommended that the Syrian government collect more revenue and be more selective about what it spends money on “to create the fiscal space needed to create room for development spending and to enhance the social safety net to protect the most vulnerable segments of the population”.

So far, the government has benefited from a degree of patience among Syrians. But despite the progress made over the past year, that patience is beginning to wear thin – particularly among the country’s most vulnerable, who have yet to feel the benefits of economic growth.

“The question is whether this whole process of recovery will translate into credible relief for households, workers, small businesses and farmers facing the knock-on effects of inflation and higher energy prices,” Maresca di Serracapriola said.