[REVISION HISTORY]

Syrian fuel price hikes and civil unrest

8 recorded revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-10-03 19:32 UTC → 2026-10-31 12:38 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Syria has implemented significant fuel price increases, including a 40 percent rise in diesel, approximately 28 percent for 95-octane gasoline, and a 26 percent increase for 90-octane petrol. The Ministry of Energy characterized these adjustments as “temporary measures” driven by rising global procurement costs, shipping, and insurance expenses, alongside a two-month maintenance period at the Baniyas refinery. These hikes triggered widespread protests across provinces such as Aleppo, Idlib, ~~and~~ Hama, Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, Al-Hasakah, and Deraa, with demonstrators blocking major highways like the M5 and M4. In response to the unrest, the government announced a ~~new~~ tiered pricing structure for diesel to mitigate economic impact. Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir stated the ministry would offer three distinct types of diesel: a subsidized rate of 115 Syrian pounds per liter for heating, agriculture, and low-income groups; a second tier at 150 liras per liter for productive and service sectors; and standard-specification diesel at 175 liras per liter. To support this, the Syrian Petroleum Company planned to restart several local refineries with a combined capacity of up to 35,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Following the fall of the Assad regime, the ~~current~~ transitional government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa has responded to recent protests by walking back some price hikes and summoning the energy minister to parliament. Unlike the previous administration, the transitional government allowed demonstrators to disperse without typical violence or imprisonment, and state media broadcast the protests rather than dismissing them. Despite these shifts, the economic situation remains dire; the World Bank indicates that two-thirds of Syrians live below the lower middle-income poverty line, surviving on less than $3.65 per day. Recent developments indicate that consumer prices rose by nearly 25 percent between July 2025 and July 2026, with costs for housing, water, and electricity rising even faster.

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