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Demonstrators apparently storm the governor's seat in southern Syria

2022-12-04T17:38:25.297Z


They demanded the overthrow of dictator Assad and set the governor's seat on fire: in the city of Suweida, where the majority of Druze people live, people are rebelling. One reason for the anger is the catastrophic supply situation.


Enlarge image

A burning police car in Suweida

Photo: SUWAYDA 24 / Suwayda 24 via REUTERS

In protest over the deep economic crisis in Syria, demonstrators apparently stormed the governor's seat in the city of Suweida in the south of the country on Sunday.

They set parts of the building on fire during violent exchanges of fire, according to authorities and eyewitnesses.

Beforehand, more than 200 people had gathered around the building in the center of the city, which is mostly inhabited by Druze, and shouted loudly for President Bashar al-Assad to be overthrown.

So far, the province of Suweida has been spared the outbreaks of violence in Syria.

The Druze minority is trying not to be drawn into the Syrian conflict, in which mainly Sunni rebels are opposed to Assad's rule.

"At least one protester and one policeman were killed," said the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman.

The demonstrator was shot dead by the security forces.

The local news portal Suwayda24 also reported two deaths.

Four other people were hospitalized with gunshot wounds.

The Interior Ministry said a "group of outlaws" attempted to storm police headquarters, killing one police officer.

Some demonstrators were armed.

Syrian state television reported that "lawbreakers" had stormed the provincial government building and set fire to official documents and files.

The Syrian economy has largely come to a standstill as a result of years of civil war and Western sanctions.

90 percent of the population lives below the poverty line and, according to the UN, 12.4 million people are affected by food insecurity.

In Suweida and other cities, there are also shortages of electricity and fuel.

The government had announced further austerity measures in the past few days, including electricity rationing.

dop/AFP/Reuters

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2022-12-04

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