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Protests in the southern Syria’s countryside of as-Suwayda continue for the fifth day in a row. Local residents demand the return of recently canceled subsidies for vital products, and protest against corruption of local and Syrian governmental authorities.
The protesters stage sit-in protests. They blocked roads between villages as well as Damascus-Suwayda Highway. They open blocked roads for the passage of trucks with food and fuel.
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Some demonstrators flew the multicoloured Druze flag, as the region is largely populated by representatives of this ethnoreligious group.
Law enforcement forces were deployed in the region. However, the protests are quite peaceful. No clashes have been reported so far.
In recent years, As-Suwayda has faced sporadic protests. The region is a rare stronghold of discontent in government-controlled areas.
The main reason of the new wave of discontent is the difficult economic situation in the country, aggravated by a government decision to exclude thousands of locals from a subsidy programme.
The decade-long war, western sanctions, and the Covid-19 pandemic, have devastated the Syrian economy. Government spending has been cut by more than 40 percent over the past two years, threatening a critical social support programme.
