Hundreds of Syrians staged a general strike on Sunday, closing major roads in villages and cities, to show protest to deteriorating living conditions and price hikes, local media reported, amid a series of sporadic demonstrations in the country’s regime-held south.
The rare strike in Sweida province comes after the government this week lifted fuel subsidies, dealing a blow to people already struggling with the heavy toll 12 years of war have exacted on Syria’s economy.
Local news outlet Suwayda24 said protests were held in “more than 40 points across Sweida province” on Sunday as part of the strike.
Syria’s war has killed more than half a million people and displaced millions since it broke out in 2011 following President Bashar Assad’s repression of peaceful protests.
