Syrians Struggle as Soaring Prices Test Post-Assad Recovery and al-Sharaa's Government

Last month, people in squares and streets across Syria burned tyres, blocked roads and chanted against the government's decision to raise fuel prices again. It was the largest show of discontent since President Ahmed al-Sharaa came to power two years ago. A few days later, amid calls for more demonstrations, the increase was revoked.

On Syrian television, one man said he still backed the authorities but could no longer afford bread. Another said people had begun to fear what new decision each morning would bring. A protester addressed Sharaa directly, complaining that a new roundabout was being built every day. People had stood by him and still did, he said, but this would make things explode.

The fuel rise was the latest in a run of measures that people blame for a growing cost-of-living crisis. Rebels led by Sharaa ousted Bashar al-Assad, ending five decades of his family's rule and more than 13 years of civil war. Many Syrians celebrated, and perhaps unrealistically hoped conditions would improve quickly. For many, finances have worsened instead.

The government has cut long-held subsidies as part of an austerity drive. Bread, a staple, now costs ten times what it did. Fuel is priced in line with the international average, which has squeezed farmers and made transport dearer. Electricity has risen by several hundred per cent for some households. Authorities adjusted public sector wages and pensions, but rising prices have swallowed the extra pay. The government said the latest fuel increase was partly due to pressure on energy markets from the US-Iran war.

In a Damascus suburb, at an open-air market, the BBC's reporter met Fatima Saleh Eid, 50, a cleaner who helps support her family. Her husband was recently hired by a ceramic factory after a year without work, which makes him one of the lucky ones. Fatima said the family no longer buys chicken or meat and eats mostly vegetables, which are also expensive. About a dozen people gathered as she spoke, and nobody disagreed. An elderly man had stopped eating meat. A man in his 20s said his family could no longer pay for his father's heart medicine. A young woman said she and her four children could afford a proper meal only every two days.

Marwan Bashour, a 68-year-old pensioner, lives on about $90 a month, the public sector minimum wage. He borrows, and sells things from his home: an old pot, unused plates, gifts, even furniture. Aid agencies he once relied on have cut services because of funding shortfalls. Nabil al-Remhein, 63, said none of his four adult children has found work and the family eats one meal a day. They light the house sparingly and switch off the fridge about five hours daily. Their latest electricity bill was about a third of their income, and he has not paid it. The UN Development Programme said 90% of Syrians were in poverty last year.

Haid Haid of Chatham House said a significant portion of the population is worse off than before Assad fell, and called the economy one of the government's most dangerous issues. He attributed part of it to scarce resources and the old regime's legacy, but also to free-market policies that ignore their impact on people. Economist Samir Aita said the government failed to manage expectations and created unrealistic hopes. "It's unsustainable. If they don't change, I fear chaos," he said. The economy ministry said no one was available for interview.

Sharaa has made gains: Assad-era sanctions are lifted, the US removed Syria from its state sponsors of terrorism list, and the country feels more stable, though security remains volatile. Earlier this year he retook the resource-rich north-east from a Kurdish-led militia. The Druze still hold parts of the south, and Israel occupies parts of the south-west. Yet the war killed half a million people and displaced half the population, and many families unable to pay rent live in partly destroyed buildings. The World Bank puts reconstruction at $216bn and says Syrians cannot rebuild without foreign help and investment.

Many still hope. Abu Mahmoud, a cab driver, said the government inherited a bankrupt country and people must be patient. Whether that patience holds depends on prices, aid and investment.