Protests persist for second day in regime-controlled areas of Southern Syria

Hundreds of Syrians demonstrated in Sweida on Monday for the second consecutive day, protesting against the deteriorating living conditions in their province located in southern Syria and under regime control, according to local media. 

These rare protests come a day after demonstrations and a general strike in protest of the government's decision last week to lift fuel subsidies, negatively impacting the livelihoods of residents who are suffering due to the decline of the Syrian economy after 12 years of conflict. 

The “Suwayda 24” news platform shared video clips showing hundreds of protesters chanting slogans against the government, including "freedom," "down with Bashar al-Assad," and "long live Syria." 

Sweida is a stronghold of the Druze minority in Syria and has largely remained isolated from battles and clashes. 

In December 2022, a protester and a policeman were killed when security forces intervened to suppress a demonstration in the city of Sweida. 

Protests erupted on Saturday in the neighboring province of Daraa, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 

The observatory reported that dozens of Syrians protested in Daraa, some raising the Syrian opposition flag and demanding Assad's departure. 

The regime regained control of Daraa, which was the cradle of protests in 2011, in 2018 under a ceasefire agreement mediated by Russia. 

The decision to lift fuel subsidies last week came at a time when the local currency had lost over 99 percent of its value. The majority of Syrians live below the poverty line, while more than 12 million citizens suffer from food insecurity, according to the United Nations. 

Popular anger over living conditions also extended to the outskirts of Damascus, where residents of the city of Jaramana recently protested repeated power outages, according to an AFP witness. 

The Syrian war has resulted in the death of over half a million people and the displacement of millions since its outbreak in 2011. What began as peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad's rule was violently suppressed, leading to a protracted conflict involving foreign forces and jihadist fighters from around the world. 

AFP