In a wave of increasingly political demonstrations, hundreds of protesters gathered in Syria’s government-held southern province of Sweida on Tuesday, demanding improved living conditions and chanting anti-government slogans, according to activists.
These protests ignited nearly two weeks ago in the heartland of the country’s Druze minority following President Bashar al-Assad’s government’s decision to end fuel subsidies. This move dealt a severe blow to Syrians already grappling with a 12-year-long war and a devastating economic crisis.
Video footage shared by the local media outlet Suwayda24 captured protesters in Sweida city carrying the multi-colored Druze flag and chanting slogans like “Down with Bashar al-Assad.”
Activists informed AFP that several hundred people participated in the demonstration, indicating a growing political dimension to the protests. While some protesters initially focused on economic demands, one demonstrator in Sweida emphasized that there could be no economic solution without a political one.
Syria’s currency, the pound, has plummeted in value against the dollar since 2011, and Western sanctions have exacerbated the country’s economic challenges. The United Nations reports that most of Syria’s population now lives in poverty.
In recent days, protesters have symbolically sealed the doors of ruling Baath party offices, an act of defiance, while others have removed images of President al-Assad in the city, according to two activists who spoke to AFP.
Protests linked to deteriorating economic conditions have sporadically occurred in Sweida since 2020.
Sweida, predominantly inhabited by the Druze community, which follows an offshoot of Shia Islam, constituted less than three percent of Syria’s pre-war population. They have largely remained uninvolved in the country’s conflict.
Sweida has been largely spared from intense fighting, with only occasional attacks from extremist groups, which the local population has repelled. Syrian security forces have maintained a limited presence in the province, and Damascus has turned a blind eye to Druze men who refuse compulsory military service. Instead, young Druze men have formed local militias to defend the region against potential assaults.
Abu Timur, a spokesperson for the local Al-Karama armed group, expressed support for “the just demands of our people” and affirmed their commitment to protecting the protests.
In recent days, smaller protests have also erupted in neighboring Daraa province, the birthplace of Syria’s 2011 uprising, which President al-Assad violently suppressed.
The ongoing war has resulted in over 500,000 casualties, displaced millions, and inflicted severe damage on Syria’s infrastructure and industry.