Syrians have faced a deepening cost-of-living squeeze two years after rebels led by Ahmed al-Sharaa ousted Bashar al-Assad, with last month's protests over another fuel-price increase described by the BBC as the largest show of discontent since Sharaa took power¹.

Correspondent Hugo Bachega, reporting from Damascus, said people burned tires, blocked roads and chanted against the government's decision to raise fuel prices again¹. Days later, amid calls for more demonstrations, the increase was revoked¹.

The BBC said many Syrians blame a series of measures for a growing crisis and that, financially, life has worsened for many since Assad's fall ended more than 13 years of civil war and five decades of his family's rule¹. Sharaa has led a transition aimed at reviving an economy damaged by mismanagement, isolation and conflict, the report said¹.

Authorities have cut long-held subsidies as part of an austerity drive, according to the BBC¹. Bread prices have increased tenfold, fuel prices have been aligned with the international average, and electricity costs have risen several hundred percent for some, putting pressure on farmers and transport, the report said¹. Public-sector wages and pensions have been adjusted, but the BBC said the extra pay has been overtaken by rising prices¹.

At a Damascus-area market, cleaner Fatima Saleh Eid told the BBC her family now eats more sparingly and can no longer afford chicken or meat¹. Pensioner Marwan Bashour said monthly public-sector pay of about $90 was not enough and that he has borrowed money and sold household items¹. Another pensioner, Nabil al-Remhein, said his family eats one meal a day and has cut lighting and fridge use because of electricity bills¹.

The United Nations Development Programme said 90% of Syrians were in poverty last year, according to the BBC¹. The report said some aid support has receded as agencies cut services after funding reductions¹. The government said the fuel increase that triggered protests was due in part to pressure on energy markets from the U.S.-Iran war, the BBC reported¹.

Dr Haid Haid, a Syrian columnist and Chatham House consulting fellow, told the BBC a significant portion of the population is worse off than before Assad's fall and called the economic crisis one of the most dangerous issues for the government¹. He said part of it stems from scarce resources and the former regime's legacy, and part from new policies moving toward a liberal, free-market model without enough regard for the impact on people¹.

A spokesman for Syria's economy and industry ministry told the BBC no one was available for an interview¹.

The BBC said international sanctions from the Assad era have been lifted and the United States has removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism¹. Security remains volatile, the report said, while Sharaa has consolidated power and earlier this year retook the resource-rich northeast from a Kurdish-led militia¹. Large parts of the country remain in ruins after a war the BBC said killed about 500,000 people and displaced half the population¹.

The World Bank estimates reconstruction at $216 billion and says foreign help and investment are needed to rebuild, according to the BBC¹. Syrian economist Samir Aita told the BBC the crisis combined government policies with unmanaged expectations; cab driver Abu Mahmoud said the new authorities inherited a bankrupt country and that change would not happen overnight¹.

Sources

1. BBCSyrians struggle with soaring prices as crisis challenges post-Assad recovery2:02 AM

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