Syrians struggle with soaring prices as crisis challenges post-Assad recovery

ByHugo Bachega Middle East correspondent, Reporting fromDamascus, Syria.

Key points

• Marwan Bashour, a 68-year-old pensioner, remarked his monthly pay was around $90 (£70).
• The United Nations Development Programme remarked 90% of Syrians were in poverty last year.
• In a suburb of Damascus, I joined Fatima Saleh Eid at an open-air market for her weekly shop.
• Since then, led Syria's transition and efforts to revive a broken economy after a long period of mismanagement, isolation and conflict, catapulted to the presidency, Sharaa has.
• Like plenty of Syrians, Marwan employed to rely on support from aid agencies.

Last month, protests erupted in squares and streets throughout Syria. Individuals burned tyres, blocked roads and chanted slogans, angry at the government's decision to raise fuel costs again. It was the largest show of discontent yet since President Ahmed al-Sharaa came to power two years ago.

Speaking on a Syrian TV channel, a man remarked he still backed the authorities but that his situation had deteriorated to the point where he could no longer afford to purchase bread. "Honestly, " another remarked, "we have begun to fear what kind of new decision each morning will bring".

For context, the growth was the latest in a series of measures residents blame for a growing cost-of-living crisis. For plenty of Syrians, life, financially, has worsened since rebels led by Sharaa ousted President Bashar al-Assad, ending five decades of his family's brutal rule and more than 13 years of a devastating civil war.

There was never any doubt regarding how challenging this would be. But as they celebrated Assad's overthrow and their new freedoms, Syrians, perhaps unrealistically, hoped things would rapidly improve. That, nevertheless, has not materialised, and the handling of the economy has frustrated numerous here.

From essential bills to basic items, the cost of virtually everything has gone up. And plenty of saw a further and unexpected rise in fuel costs as a sign of a administration out of touch with its country.

"We don't want roundabouts. Every day they build a new roundabout. Individuals stood by you and are still with you, " another protester said, addressing Sharaa, "but this will things explode". Days afterwards, against the backdrop of calls for further demonstrations, the growth was revoked.

In a suburb of Damascus, I joined Fatima Saleh Eid at an open-air market for her weekly shop. At 50, she works as a cleaner to support backing her family.

"We've suffered a lot, " she remarked. Her husband had lately been hired by a ceramic factory after a year unemployed. As plenty of are struggling to find work, he is among the lucky ones. In some streets, men gather in the hope of session someone offering a day job; often, they wait in vain.

Since coming to power, the administration has slashed long-held subsidies as part of an austerity drive. The cost of bread, a Syrian staple, has climbed tenfold. Fuel rates are now in line with the international average. It has put pressure on farmers and produced transportation more expensive, while the cost of electricity has gone up a number of hundred per cent for some.

For context, the authorities, in response, have adjusted public sector wages, including pensions; unsurprisingly, the effect of the extra pay for residents has been lost as rates keep rising.

"We eat more sparingly now. We can't afford chicken anymore nor meat. We only eat vegetables but even expensive, " Fatima remarked. "Inshallah things will get cheaper."

As she spoke, around a dozen individuals, of all ages, gathered around us. Nobody disagreed. One elderly man additionally stated he had halted eating meat. Another, in his 20s, informed me his family were no longer able to pay the medicine for his father. This person had a heart condition. One young woman remarked she and her four children could only afford to have a proper meal every two days. Assad regime planned US journalist's kidnap for weeks, BBC finds. Global charity withholds report into its role in Syria's 'disappeared' children.

For context, the phone book that led us to Assad's spy chief in hiding.

Marwan Bashour, a 68-year-old pensioner, remarked his monthly pay was around $90 (£70). It is the public sector minimum wage. "It's not enough at all, " he remarked.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Development Programme remarked 90% of Syrians were in poverty last year. Marwan informed me how he produced ends meet.

"Sometimes I borrow money, sometimes I sell things from my house, " he remarked, "like an old pot or plates that we never employed, gifts that were given to us. I've even had to sell furniture".

There have been other pressures too. Like plenty of Syrians, Marwan employed to rely on support from aid agencies. As organisations have been forced to cut back services as of funding cuts, but, for him, that has halted.

Syria has additionally not been immune to the impact of the US-Iran war. Authorities stated the fuel growth that led to the protests was, in part, due to the pressure on energy markets as of the conflict.

I met another pensioner, Nabil al-Remhein. This person is 63. None of his four adult children could find work. "We're now having only one meal a day. It's tragic, " he remarked. His face looked tired. "It isn't only me. It's the entire population. We're all hungry. We're suffocating under rising costs."

Nabil took me to his house, in a poor area of narrow alleys and modest buildings. There, I met his wife. She was doing her chores in the dark.

"I'm afraid of the electricity bill, " Nabil remarked. "We've cut back on lighting up the house and we turn off the fridge for about five hours a day".

Still, their latest bill was regarding a third of the family's income. He has not paid it.

Dr Haid Haid, a Syrian columnist and consulting fellow at the London-based think tank Chatham House, remarked a "significant portion of the population" was worse off than before Assad's fall.

For context, the economic crisis, he informed me, was "one of the most dangerous issues" for the administration, and that some of it was of its own making.

"Part of is related to the lack of resources and the legacy left by the former regime, " he remarked.

"But it's also the direct impact of the new policies that are moving towards a liberal and free-market sort of economy, which don't take into account the impact on people".

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Syrian economy and industry ministry informed me no-one was available for an interview. Sharaa has, of course, scored some significant gains.

International sanctions imposed in the Assad-era have been lifted, and the US has removed the country from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Security remains volatile and a source of concern, but the country feels more stable.

And the president continues to consolidate his power and, earlier this year, retook the resource-rich north-east from a Kurdish-led militia. (The Druze still control areas in the south, where they want to create an autonomous state; Israel occupies parts of the south-west.).

But real economic recovery is yet to happen. Sizeable parts of Syria remain in ruins after a war that killed half a million residents and displaced half of the population.

Unable to afford rent, plenty of families live in partially destroyed buildings. The World Bank notes reconstruction costs are estimated at $216bn and, without foreign assist and investment, it will be impossible for Syrians to rebuild.

Samir Aita, a Syrian economist who heads the Circle of Arab Economists, a Paris-based independent think-tank, remarked the crisis was a "combination of policies with the not managing expectations and creating unrealistic hopes".

When I asked him regarding how he felt concerning the future, he noted: "It's unsustainable. If they don't change, I fear chaos."

Exhausted after years of conflict, Syrians, left with almost no choice, remain hopeful.

Abu Mahmoud, a cab driver, informed me: "They inherited the country bankrupt, so residents need to be patient. Things don't happen overnight." Extra reporting by Lana Antaki, Samantha Granville and Neha Sharma.

In short, syrians struggle with soaring prices as crisis challenges post is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.