Protesters in Syria’s Deir al-Zor demand better living conditions from the Kurdish-led administration 

Protests in northeast Syria against increased fuel prices in May 2021 (Photo: Kurdistan 24/Ekrem Salih)
Protests in northeast Syria against increased fuel prices in May 2021 (Photo: Kurdistan 24/Ekrem Salih)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Dozens of protesters gathered on the main road in Syria’s eastern Deir al-Zor province to demand better living conditions from the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) war monitor reported on Sunday. 

Citing its activists on the ground, the UK-based monitor blocked the main road and set tires on fire. 

As SOHR noted, this isn’t the first such protest to break out in the province’s countryside. Similar protests have also demanded the AANES “shoulder its responsibilities and fulfill their demands in light of deteriorating living conditions.” 

In late March, SOHR also reported protests against “the deteriorating living conditions and unaffordable prices of basic essentials and food” in the province. Those protests gathered in Sayed Hammoud village in the countryside of Hasakah province’s Al-Shaddadi district and demanded the AANES provide “essential products, such as bread and fuel”. 

Those protesters also blocked roads and burned tires. 

On Saturday, the Syria-based North Press news agency reported that AANES employees are eagerly awaiting a pay rise offered by the administration on Apr. 5. Those employees are demanding an “adequate” pay to cope with the combination of high prices and low purchasing power in the region, partially caused by the collapse of the Syrian pound. 

“We were pleased to hear about the salary increase, but the increase by about 25% is a small percentage,” Sabah Rasso, a primary school teacher in Tal Tamr, told North Press. She added that an 80% increase is what people need to deal with the harsh economic conditions in the AANES region.