The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

U.S. and allied strikes have raised fuel prices by 50- 100 % as winter approaches.

oil

 

 

 

 

The provinces of Deir Ezzor, al- Hasaka, al- Raqqa, Aleppo and Idleb have witnessed a very high increase in prices of diesel and gasoline since the beginning of air raids and missile strikes launched by the International- Arab coalition on Islamic State, Jabhat al- Nusra and other Islamic organizations that contain non- Syrian fighters, where the price of diesel has increased by 50% in the province of Deir Ezzor and 100% in the two provinces of Aleppo and Idleb. Traders, economists and petroleum engineers have assured for SOHR that the oil-traders, who buy fuel from IS- held oilfields, have raised the price of crude oil barrel attributing that to the gravity of transportation of crude oil due to fears of targeting oil tankers by U.S. and allied warplanes.

 

The price of a refined diesel barrel in the province of Deir Ezzor was about 8 to 10 thousand Syrian Lira but it has gone up to about 14 to 15 thousand Lira, while in the province of Idleb it was about 9 to 10 thousand Lira but it has risen to about 16 to 19 thousand Lira. The diesel is used in Syria for heating, operating of agriculture machines, bakeries and generators. Oil traders and petroleum engineers have confirmed to SOHR that IS, which controls the oil- wells and oilfields in the province of Deir Ezzor, has not raised the prices after coalition strikes where they have still sold the barrel of fuel about 5 to 7 thousand Lira and the price varies from well to well.

 

Too many oil- traders and citizens have lined up in fuel- sale centers affiliated to IS in order to buy crude oil and sell it to the owners who have very primitive refineries or small refineries made in Turkey. These refineries have bombed by the Coalition warplanes. Reliable resources have reported to SOHR that the Iraqi tankers drivers come to these sale- centers carrying a paper from IS organization in Iraq in order to load crude oil without paying money at the centers and they have advantage in filling their tankers. It is unknown whether these tankers belong to IS or owned by Iraqi traders. On the other hand, the high price of diesel and gasoline have caused to increase the prices of food and bread.