Syria Monthly Report

Summary

In south and central Syria, the Syrian government continues to push residents to use the electronic payment system to enable the switch to a cashless economy; the most recent attempts were to ask farmers and workers to open bank accounts so salaries and lump sum agricultural payments could be wired directly to them. While this may appear facilitative, there is neither the technical literacy nor the infrastructure in much of Syria to handle the change. Government forces are using threats, blackmail, and allowing the creation of armed militias to discourage the year-long protests in As-Sweida. However, the governorate’s established local militias are openly challenging Syrian forces, while anti-government rhetoric continues.

In northeast Syria, taxi drivers in Quamishli, Amuda, and Menbij held strikes against a decision to halve their subsidized diesel allocations. The Democratic Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria (AANES) is reported to be applying a 92% cut in subsidies for 2024, in an effort to reduce its budget deficit; cuts in allocations for public transport are likely to be part of these efforts. In Deir-ez-Zor, the Arab Tribal Forces launched an offensive across the Euphrates, from government-held areas toward SDF positions in Thiban and Hawayej. Although small, the clashes caused damage to several water stations, restricting access to clean water for up to 200,000 people, and displaced several thousand people from their homes.

Protests against Syrian–Turkish rapprochement in northern Aleppo has led to plans to establish a Supreme Council for the Revolutionary Command (SCRC). The SCRC is to be an alternative governance actor to the Syrian Interim Government (SIG) and the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces (SNC) which residents view as complicit in Turkey’s efforts to normalize relations with the Syrian government. In Idleb, the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) suspended the Paralympic Games after several religious figures in the region criticized the opening ceremony for being an “imitation of the West.” Critics also compared the Olympic torch to “pagan symbols,” and objected to the mixing of men and women.