Protests erupt in Arab-majority Raqqa over deteriorating living conditions

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Protests erupted in the Arab-majority Syrian province of Raqqa on Sunday over deteriorating living conditions and continued on Monday.

The UK-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the internal security forces, also known as Asayish, used gunfire to disperse protesters in Al-Suwaydiyah Al-Kabira in Raqqa’s countryside on Monday. No casualties were reported.

The monitor also reported that 35 civilians have been arrested since the protests started.

The Asayish reportedly continue to block the entrances and exits of Al-Suwadiyah village as part of a curfew it began imposing on Sunday. It also continued carrying out raids and arresting people. 

"This development came in light of popular protests that took place in Al-Suwadiyah village yesterday, denouncing the deteriorating living conditions, the shortage of sugar, and the poor quality of bread," SOHR reported.

Journalist Hussam Hammoud from Raqqa tweeted on Monday that protesters in Al-Suwadiyah "criticized quality of bread and lack of services in the town."

Due to a demonstration by locals this evening in Alswedia town in #Raqqa W countryside criticized quality of bread and lack of services in the town, #SDF responded by shooting the demonstrators and arrests. Now SDF’s troops are breaking into the town again in aim to arrest others pic.twitter.com/NhsFdotVsZ

— Hussam Hammoud (@HussamHamoud) January 9, 2022

He said that security forces "responded by shooting the demonstrators" and arresting people.

"Now SDF's (Syrian Democratic Forces) troops are breaking into the town again in aim to arrest others," he added. 

Raqqa was liberated from ISIS in October 2017 by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with support from the US-led coalition. 

Despite the SDF and the US-led coalition announcing the defeat of the extremist group's so-called caliphate on March 23, 2019, following the SDF's capture of the eastern Syrian town of Baghouz, ISIS sleeper cell attacks continue in areas liberated from the militants.

Arab-majority areas such as Manbij, Shaddadi, Raqqa, Deir al-Zor, have previously held protests against deteriorating living conditions or military conscription into SDF-linked forces, as have some Kurdish towns.