Fuel crisis sees slight detente in Syria’s Damascus following acute shortage
The fuel crisis in Syria seems on the verge of easing following days of acute shortage of this key substance as a result of the U.S. sanctions.
The residents in the capital Damascus have been lining up in long queues over the past days, waiting for long hours before they could get only 20 liters for each car.
On Wednesday, the queues got shorter and the substance was offered to all gas stations in the capital.
Still, this measure doesn’t mean the fuel crisis is over as each private car is only allowed to fill 20 liters every five day while for public transportation 20 liters every three days.
This measure has only contributed to easing the congestion at the gas stations, but people are still saying it’s not enough.
The Syrian government has been working hard to secure fuel amid the tightened sanctions.
Pro-government al-Watan newspaper said Wednesday that the Syrian cabinet made a review of the oil situation in the country and the measures taken to increase the local production as well as opening new outlets for direct distribution of fuel to the people through mobile gas stations, in addition to reactivate the oil stations that were inoperable.
The report said the Syrian cabinet stressed that the oil file is being focused on and that all efforts would be exerted to return the oil section to its normal operation to meet the demands of the people.
One day earlier, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said tens of truckloads of fuel reached the government areas coming from the Kurdish-held region in northeastern Syria.
The fuel that came from areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is little in quantity to suffice the needs of the country, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The UK-based watchdog group said fuel crisis in Syria has been exacerbating since last Nov. when the fuel coming from Iran and Algeria was halted.
The fuel crisis is the result of the renewed U.S. sanctions on Syria, which were tightened through the latest set of sanctions imposed on the country in March.
The sanctions covered the ships that were bringing fuel to Syria since 2016 in a bid to further suffocate the country economically.
Moreover, the halt of the Iranian credit line to Syria six months ago was a main cause of the fuel shortage, according to the newspaper. Since that time, the country has become in need of massive liquidity to cover for halting the Iranian credit line.
As a result, the country has suffered over the past six months to secure fuel as the costs are a huge challenge.
Source: Fuel crisis sees slight detente in Syria’s Damascus following acute shortage – Brinkwire