May 2020 Roots of Fuel Crisis in Syria: Corruption, Displacement and Regime’s Fictitious Reconstruction The ongoing fuel crisis is not the first in the Assad regime’s era. In 2008, the country had experienced an equally severe situation despite abundance of oil at the time. The government triggered the shortage by removing subsidies on gasoline and diesel fuel. As a result, the fuel price increased three-fold in a very short time, additionally driven up by the rampant corruption in the distribution process.
Ultimately, the removal of fuel subsidies and the resulting fuel crisis had led to the weakening of the middle class and the desperation of the poor. A large percentage of crops were destroyed, as owners could not afford the cost of harvesting and irrigation, leading to a massive internal migration from the eastern regions.
