In recent days, protests against the lifting of government subsidies on essential foodstuffs have shaken the Sueida region, and protesters accuse the regime of Bashar Al-Assad.
For the fourth consecutive day, the southern Syrian city of Sueida has been the scene of protests against “the deterioration of living conditions” in this country ravaged by eleven years of war, writes the Syrian opposition website Enab Baladi.
The protests were triggered after the lifting of a government program to subsidize basic foodstuffs enjoyed by “a large part of the inhabitants of the region”. According to Enab Baladi, residents in the Soueida area are now “forced to buy essential foodstuffs, such as bread, at prices 10 times higher”.
A stronghold of the Druze minority, this region, which remained neutral during the conflict, is controlled by the regime.
The rengaine of an “international conspiracy” no longer passes
Rarely, the pro-government press, like the daily Al-Watan, echoed these protests, during which slogans hostile to the regime of Bashar Al-Assad were chanted. Roads were blocked in Soueida and surrounding towns.
Quoted by the pro-Assad newspaper, the governor of Soueida referred to “popular events” against the decision to lift subsidies. The protesters “ask the government […] to take the decisions that would contribute to reducing
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