Rojava revokes decision to increase fuel prices following protests

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The decision to increase the price of fuel in northeast Syria (Rojava) was revoked by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES) on Wednesday, a day after locals took to the streets to protest the sudden price hike.

The decision was made based on demands from the people, the NES said in a statement, following an emergency meeting on the matter.

An increase in the prices of different types of fuel, such as petrol and cooking gas, was announced on Monday. The decision came as a surprise to many, with a financial crisis gripping Syria as a whole. The hike was expected to increase the cost of basic goods in the area. 

Shopkeepers, civil servants, and the unemployed were among those demonstrating in Qamishli, calling for an immediate reversal to the decision.

"It is not all about fuel. The price of fuel naturally affects the prices of many essentials. We as four parties [in the administration] have released a statement, calling for the decision to be revoked immediately," Mohammad Musa, Secretary General of Left Party of Syrian Kurds, told Rudaw.

Kurdish authorities didn't explain the main reason behind the price hike but Sadiq Mohammad, the co-chair of Rojava's Fuel Directorate, told local media that the previous prices were too low to cover the cost of fuel production, and fuel had to be imported from the Kurdistan Region.

Most oil fields in Syria are located in Rojava but the inability to extract, refine or market it has caused fuel shortages there.