Recent strikes and protests in the Sweida province in southern Syria have brought back memories of the demonstrations that erupted in the spring of 2011.
Reasons behind renewed protests in Sweida are deteriorating living conditions and recent government decisions that, while increasing the salaries of state employees, have exacerbated the impoverishment of the Syrian people and heightened inflation.
Protests in Sweida began following a call by locals to go on a general strike.
Local sources in Suwayda confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the scope of the protests, which began last Wednesday, has expanded throughout the province.
On Sunday, there was a significant response to the call for a general strike. Residents closed major roads in villages and cities. Shops shut their doors, and employees refrained from going to government institutions and agencies.
Sweida’s Department of Education announced the postponement of Sunday’s scheduled exams at the Damascus University branch in the province to a later, undetermined, date.
Sources also highlighted an incident involving an official from the Baath Party.
The official tried to escape from one of the towns using a rural road, but locals blocked the way, forcing them to find an alternative route out of the province.
Local news website “Sweida 24” broadcasted an audio clip of the conversation between the official and the locals who blocked his passage.
One of them asked, “If we let you reach your workplace, will you ensure water reaches our homes?”
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that roads and government departments in Sweida were closed in protest of the deteriorating economic situation.
Meanwhile, local activists circulated photos and video clips showing the closure of roads, shops, as well as demonstrations and protest gatherings.
Since Wednesday, the capital city of Damascus has been gripped by a palpable sense of apprehension and widespread concern amidst noticeable security mobilization.
An opposition news website cited private sources stating that “security agencies have issued directives to their branches and units in the Rural Damascus Governorate to be on high alert, preparing to confront any opposition movement with measures even stricter than those in 2011.”
This development followed activists’ calls for civil disobedience.
Videos circulated by these activists showed anti-regime slogans written on walls in the town of Zakia in Rural Damascus. This coincided with protests that erupted in the provinces of Daraa and Sweida.
