Fuel crisis continues in Syria as long queues return

Fuel queues stretch as far as the eye can see for kilometers in most Syrian provinces, reflecting the scale of the crisis in a country that produces tens of thousands of barrels of oil daily.

Abu Shadi, a pseudonym for a public transport driver in the city of Aleppo, told our agency’s correspondent that the current scenes of waiting in front of fuel stations to obtain around 20 liters of diesel remind him of the days of the “smart card” system under the collapsed Baath regime.

Despite the government raising fuel prices to ensure availability at stations, according to authorities, the crisis continues. According to the latest bulletin issued by the Ministry of Energy in the interim government, the price of one liter of 95-octane gasoline reached around 13,000 Syrian pounds, while 90-octane gasoline reached around 12,500 pounds, and diesel reached 10,700 pounds per liter.

Abu Shadi confirms that waiting for about six hours at fuel stations in exchange for two hours of work for a 20-liter allocation is insufficient, adding: “20 liters won’t be enough—two or three trips on the route and the diesel is gone.”

Private taxi fares have risen dramatically without any regulation, in parallel with the fuel crisis. Transport for a 5 km distance from Al-Ashrafiyah neighborhood to Aleppo University has reportedly reached 75,000 Syrian pounds, according to local sources.

Meanwhile, newly appointed Syrian parliament member Muayyad Qabtor posted on social media: “Imagine that I am a member of parliament and I could not find gasoline in all of Aleppo province to go to the parliamentary session.”

Car owners are reportedly forced to push their vehicles manually without starting the engine in order to save the remaining fuel, which they now describe as “precious as opium.”

Some local economic observers indicate that the fuel crisis, especially gasoline shortages, has worsened living conditions and increased the burden of rising prices on residents, despite the lifting of Caesar sanctions and the transfer of control over all oil fields to the government.

The Caesar Act sanctions on Syria were officially lifted after U.S. President Donald Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act in December 2025, which included a clear provision abolishing them, following a vote by Congress (Senate and House of Representatives) in favor of repealing the law imposed in 2019.

Bribery also remains present, according to interviews conducted with several public transport drivers. Among them is Osama Al-Sayed (a pseudonym at his request), who relies on his car as a primary source of income to support his family, in addition to working as an employee in a public school.

Osama said he witnessed bribery cases at several stations, most notably at the Taybah station in Aleppo, where bribes were paid to avoid waiting in line or to obtain more than the allocated 20 liters.

He questioned how he could secure a livelihood under such conditions, as he lives in a rented house and works two jobs, while his income remains insufficient to cover rising expenses and daily living needs.

About 90% of Syrians live below the poverty line, while reports indicate that extreme poverty has reached record levels, and that Syrian families need an income that covers basic necessities—something current wages do not provide.

This places the economy in a difficult phase described by many economists as a “poverty trap,” a structural condition that makes it extremely difficult to escape the cycle of need without radical interventions.

The Ministry of Energy in the interim government previously stated through its media director Abdul Hamid Salat that “the sharp increase in demand during the past days led to higher pressure on some fuel stations, causing temporary depletion of supplies or congestion until new tanker shipments arrive.”

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ANHA