"Road closures double suffering of traders"

For over a month, the Syrian Interim Government has closed the roads leading to North and East Syria, most notably the Aleppo-Deir Hafer and Salamiyah-Tabqa roads. This has stifled and paralyzed trade, forcing trucks to take long and dangerous smuggling routes of up to 600 km instead of the usual 180 km. This has doubled costs and burdened citizens.

Trader Mohammed Haidar, one of those affected by the road closures, says: "The crossings are the only lifeline between Syrian regions. Our areas are already weak commercially and economically. Tabqa, for example, is an agricultural and tourist area, not an industrial one. Closing the roads and crossings is suffocating the residents of these areas." He explains that markets are almost at a standstill today, and commercial activity has declined by more than 75 percent. He points out that "many merchants have suffered heavy losses due to the road closures, and shipping costs have increased significantly, with the cost of shipping some goods now approaching their original price."

Haydar notes that the closure of roads and crossings has driven up prices even further, as goods are now being transported via difficult and illegal routes, incurring exorbitant fees.

Mohammed Haydar clarifies that "we are all children of the same nation, and this is an indisputable fact. We demand understanding and the reopening of the roads, because their closure sows discord among Syrians. We are all brothers, with no distinction between us, regardless of our backgrounds or affiliations."

For his part, merchant Munir al-Juwaim, from the covered market in the center of Tabqa city, explains that most of his goods are imported from Aleppo and Damascus, but after the border crossings closed, their costs became exorbitant, negatively impacting the citizens.

He clarifies that the main reason is the significant increase in shipping costs after the roads were closed. What exacerbates the crisis is that the financial returns for residents are weak, and there is no decent income. Citizens cannot bear the burden of these exorbitant costs.

Al-Juwaim pointed out that this situation has led to "a halt in sales for many merchants and shops." Because people are focusing on necessities like vegetables and food and refraining from buying anything else.”

Regarding shipping methods, Al-Juwaim explains that goods coming from inside Syria now take a long route starting from Aleppo, passing through Hama, Salamiyah, Palmyra, and then Deir ez-Zor, to reach areas in North and East Syria, and from there to Tabqa, after covering a distance of up to 600 km, while the original distance does not exceed 180 km.

He continues: “I used to go to Aleppo weekly to secure goods, and the transportation cost did not exceed 50,000 Syrian pounds. Today, it reaches 150,000, with long waits and passage through remote and dangerous smuggling routes. I haven’t gone for more than a month because of these difficulties.”

He also pointed out that “customers who used to come from the Athriya area now need five hours to reach Tabqa, and if it weren’t for their business dealings with us, they wouldn’t come.”

The effects of the road closures were not limited to trade, but extended to people’s lives in their humanitarian aspects, as Haidar, whose sister, who suffered from cancer, passed away, confirms. In a short period, he stated that "the greatest disaster caused by the closure has befallen patients, especially those with cancer and chronic illnesses, university students, and others who are forced to travel."

He noted that "the families of patients can no longer afford the costs of transportation and treatment, and some are requesting assistance because they cannot bear to simply watch their loved ones suffer and struggle with pain."

In closing, the two merchants, Muhammad Haidar and Munir al-Juwaim, called for the reopening of roads and crossings between Syrian regions, "out of compassion for the residents, the sick, and the merchants, and to place humanitarian and livelihood concerns above any political considerations."

ANHA