The Syrian North, crossings impose royalties and preventing trade put millions of residents and displaced people in the labyrinth of starvation and unemployment because of a deplorable economic, agricultural, and commercial reality
At a time when the economic sector must be in a renewed attempt to rise, it falls, where the economic impact in the areas that are controlled by the “jihadi” the rebel and Islamic factions, and the Turkish Forces; has become a very important problem of a great concern to the citizens, who are striving to protect their livelihoods and business, the areas are known to be agricultural areas, and even economic sectors are primarily dependent on the agricultural side, and the what increased the difficulty of living is the increase in the difficulty of the agricultural exchange movement as it used to be before, today, the crossings are the main controller; no means to pass the goods but the crossings, and this made a new problem, which is the decrease in business and the difficulty of movement and transportation, in addition to the increase in unemployment and the concerns about the local production.
The areas of control of the Syrian opposition factions and the “jihadi” Islamic factions, are concentrated in the northern countryside of Latakia, pass through Sahl al-Ghab, the northern countryside of Hama with the southern, southeastern, and eastern countryside of Idlib, the southern and northwestern countryside of Aleppo until Manbij area and the western banks of Euphrates,; along the entire Syrian – Turkish border, this agricultural areas produces most of the basic needs of olives, olive oil, pistachios, citrus fruits, medicinal crops, and cereals, while these markets of these commodity are witnessing a decline in prices as a result of the closure of the crossings, and the need to pay a large bribes to those in charge of these crossing that connect between factions’ controlled areas and regime forces’-controlled areas, to pass these materials, and pushing the merchants to store the summer product, which caused their prices to decline.
Farmers also suffer from the problem of getting the grains needed for agriculture, the majority of whom rely on the stored grains from previous harvests, with fears of decreasing the existing grains available for agriculture, and significantly decreasing their quality and the decrease in production during the coming seasons, where these problems began to emerge a while ago and there is a greater chance for them to expand, also the Syrian Observatory monitored the decline in marketing for the olive harvest and olive oil, where areas of northwest Syria are famous for their production, also the price of olive oil fell to about 1000 Syrian pounds, which is 600 less than last year despite the good quality of this season, where the cause -again- is closing the crossings and imposing “royalties” on passing the products to other Syrian areas, the same thing happened to the cultivation and production of pistachios and many of other crops that cannot be marketed in markets other than the local markets, as a result of the royalties imposed by the traffickers in the crossings between factions’ controlled areas and the areas of control of the factions and other forces in Syria.
Areas of Jabal al-Zawiyah and Maarrat al-Nu’man countryside are considered the first in terms of production, which is being dried and exported to regional countries, while the closure of crossings and the difficulty of exporting them forced the traders to accumulate these materials but without being sold, also these cases are applied to citrus, pomegranate, and Apple products in the western countryside Idlib, and the matter extended to from the agriculture to the stone-related industries and other industries, like the materials needed in construction, also, imposing huge taxes for the export of such products needed for construction has prevented them from being exported, and reduced the pace of work to meet the local needs only.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the control of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and the rebel and Islamic factions on important trade crossings, which transformed the areas of the Syrian north into besieged areas, which affected the purchasing power of citizens, and from these crossings:
Qal’aat al-Madiq crossing the Gate of Sahl al-Ghab; which was recently used as the last stop for displacement buses coming from the Syrian provinces and was closed after that.
Morek crossing in the northern countryside of Hama on the international road of Aleppo – Damascus, which was opened in November 2017, after the closure of Abu Dali Crossing, where it was recently reopened unofficially after closing for 3 months.
Al-Eis crossing in the southern countryside of Aleppo, which is one of the most important commercial crossings because of its proximity to the industrial and commercial city, Aleppo, where it is controlled by Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and through which most of the food and car pass through it, and most of the agricultural products of Idlib comes out through it.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the attempt of both Russia and Turkey to open the international road of Aleppo for shipping, trade, and movement of civilians, so that the goods coming from the Gulf countries and Jordan pass through Nasib crossing to Turkey, which will revive the area economically somewhat, and in areas of control of the rebel and Islamic factions the fuel prices increased, where the fuel is affected by several conditions including the monopoly of merchants and preparations by Turkey for a military operation in eastern Euphrates.
And what increased the discontent of the residents and people of the Syrian north is the fact that the population’s livelihood issues are the last concern of the negotiating committees, where its demands are confined to finding practical gains for the countries that guarantee the agreements, in which the process of handing over the north is being carried out slowly as expressed by the people to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, as a time where the National Rescue Government is considered responsible for Idlib province regarding the administrative and security sectors, and what the increasing the discontent of the population is the high unemployment rate along with the increase of number of displaced people in recent months and years, and the shortage of jobs, which will affect the future of the area and put it in the face of new type of risks.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 6th of November 2018 that between the Battle of “La Ghalib Illa Allah” (no victor except ALLAH) which was announced by the rebel and Islamic factions of the Turkish-supported “Olive Branch” Operation, towards areas of Manbij and east of Euphrates against the Syria Democratic Forces supported by the International Coalition, from which fuel reaches factions’ controlled areas within the Syrian north, in a trade that has become popular in the recent years, and between agreement of other Turkish-supported factions with the regime forces and the Russian police, and between opening the traffic commercially and for the citizens in Morek Crossing at the northern countryside of Hama, the citizens living and displaced to the Syrian north which is under the control of these factions; are suffer a crazy rise in prices of all materials, such as fuel, food, children supplies, homes, and raw everyday-materials needed in the life of any citizen as a harsh winter starts in the area, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the rise in the prices of fuel, foodstuffs, and other stuff, where the traders are heavily monopolizing the fuel and prevent putting it in the market, where most of the areas traders are partners or supported by influential faction leaders in the area.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the rise in the price of gasoline barrels from about 45000 Syrian pounds to more than 70000 Syrian pounds, which is the basic material used by most of the families in the Syrian north for heating, and enters into the movement of the joints of life, like transporting, extracting water, running ovens, and others, and in turn, the prices of bread, transportation, water tankers, etc.. have also increased, where the Syrian Observatory monitored the increase of pistachio peels, which some families use as an alternative to diesel for heating it, to reach about $20 per ton, while the prices of the wood used for heating rose per ton from 40000 to 60000 Syrian pounds, also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the increase of the prices of vegetables from 100 to 200 SYP per kilogram per type, due to the export of a large portion of them towards regime forces’-controlled areas through Morek crossing, and another reason is the rise in the cost of transportation because of the rise of fuel prices.
The Syrian Observatory published on the 2nd of November 2018 that the Syrian Observatory monitored the completion of the rest of the logistic matters and opening of the strategic crossing between areas of control of the faction through the Turkish forces, and between areas of control of the regime forces through the Russian police, where the trucks began to enter and exit to and from areas of the control of both parties through the crossing, and sources confirmed that the crossing will be used for commercial purposes at the foreseeable time, but it is not known if it will also be used as a civilian crossing as well, and the Syrian Observatory published 2 days ago, Wednesday, that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights received information about the opening of the strategic crossing of Morek on Hama – Aleppo road in Morek town in the northern countryside of Hama, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored preparations by the Turkish Forces and the rebel and Islamic factions and between the Russian police in regime forces’-controlled areas, where the Russian police are removing the barricades that are blocking the road leading to the crossing, amid gathering of the commercial trucks on both sides of the area waiting the orders to open it, and these preparations come as the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them continue to receive people coming to Abu al-Duhur crossing, which opened on the 22nd of October 2018, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the reopening of Abu al-Duhur crossing in the eastern countryside of Idlib, and in the details obtained by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the crossing was opened by the regime forces from one side, as the crossing movement from the side of the regime forces is only available for those wishing to come from Hama province towards Idlib province currently, but no information about the cross of any person yet.