The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Smuggling livestock from Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham’s controlled areas and the Turkey-loyal factions towards areas of SDF and the Syrian regime raise the meat price madly and warns a disaster of losing the origin

The past few months have seen a rise in the price of red meat within areas of control of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and the factions in the Syrian north, due to the rise in livestock prices after the increase of livestock smuggling operations; from areas of the factions in the north of Syria to areas of SDF east of Syria and to areas of the Syrian regime, which threatens in losing the origin of them which has good qualities and original breeds, where prices of livestock that are smuggled to areas of the regime reached unbelievable levels, where the price of female sheep reached 250 thousand Syrian pounds, and sometimes exceed 500 thousand Syrian pounds which is about 1000 U.S. dollars, as well as the increase in prices of goats and cows, which was reflected negatively on the citizens as it was followed by a rise in prices of sheep meat to 5500 Syrian pounds in northwest of Syria, while the price in the areas of Aleppo city reached 7000 SYP, while butchers refrain from slaughtering sheep because of the increase in its price “alive” day after day, where the alive sheep recorded a price of about 2200 Syrian pounds per kilo, this increase has prevented a large segment of poor people from putting meat on their daily spending lists, and the continued smuggling threatens to lose livestock from the areas that are controlled by the Rescue Government and the pro-Turkish factions, due to the loss of female livestock, also the local councils warned about that several months ago; and issued a decision preventing the smuggling of livestock to areas of the SDF and the regime, and they issued decisions to do so without receiving any response from the security authorities, who smuggle them in exchange for a commission in most of the border villages with the Syria Democratic Forces’ controlled areas and regime forces’-controlled areas in Manbij area in particular, the most important of which is the “illegal” Sekkary crossing, which is a source of livelihood for the Turkey loyal factions not less than Bab al-Hawa border crossing, where sheep, cars, gold, silver, passengers, wanted people, ISIS members, cement, money of those work in money exchange and foodstuffs such as sugar are smuggled, in addition to medicines and smoke on a daily basis, all of these substances give a huge profit for smugglers with the involvement of leaders and members of factions, as well as the constant problems between them over sharing the smuggling routes and revenues.