The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Chronic crises | Bread and fuel shortages plague “areas of reconciliations” in Daraa province

As successive crises hit most of the areas controlled by the Syrian regime, including the unaffordable prices of food and essentials and acute bread and fuel shortage, the areas where “reconciliation deals” have been struck in Daraa province are most affected.

 

According to Syrian Observatory sources, bread bakeries in these areas are operating for only two days a week, which has caused a stifling crisis as the bread produced in those two days does not meet the residents’ need, especially after regime authorities reduced the amount of flour allocated for bakeries as well as the flour shortage in the “duty free stores”. All these factors prompted the residents to buy high quality bread for 1,200 SYL per pack.

 

On the other hand, these areas are experiencing congestions in front of petrol stations due to the low amounts of fuel provided by the Syrian regime’s authorities, and the state-subsidized gas shortage. Three months ago, each family in these areas used to get a cylinder of gas, via a smart card, for 3,500 SYL. A cylinder of gas is sold now on the black market for 23,000 SYL and this price is unaffordable by the residents living there, which has forced them to use logs and other wood, despite its high price which reaches 250,000 SYL per ton of logs/wood.

 

Moreover, residents in such areas are suffering from the lack of job opportunities, as many of them are afraid of travelling from one area to another because of the large number of regime’s security checkpoints.

 

Similarly, areas still under regime control in Daraa province since the start of the “Syrian Revolution” are also suffering from several crises such as bread and fuel shortages, as it is the case across the other Syrian provinces. However, crises in these areas in Daraa are less acute than in areas which have experienced “reconciliations”, where electric power availability and services are better, while bread bakeries get larger amounts of allocated flour.