Syrian regime extorting fuel

Security forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were deployed into the capital, Damascus, but this time not to fight a war. Driving around in cars with machine-guns fixed on the back, these soldiers turned into vendors, selling petrol to citizens at higher-than-usual prices. Syria’s ongoing fuel crisis has forced citizens to use all possible means of getting hold of fuel, even if it means paying through the teeth for it. Security agents and shabiha have been exploiting the crisis by selling jars of petrol at the normal price [350 Syrian pounds], then selling it on for double or even more [sometimes up to 2,500 SP]. They are taking advantage of Syrians’ needs. The few petrol stations that have stayed open are now under regime control. They decide when to sell and who to, using the pretext of “protecting the homeland” to give priority to army vehicles [dushka-laden vans come first] and security service men’s cars. They buy petrol at the normal price [about 55 SP per litre] then stand at the door and sell it on at 150 SP per litre. All this calls into question the regime’s part in this latest crisis. And it certainly goes to show how far the Syrian security forces will go in exploiting and extorting.