Dispute between Government, Makhlouf Deepens Syria's Economic Woes

A man watches a Facebook video posted by Syrian businessman Rami Makhlouf in Damascus on May 11, 2020. (AFP)
A man watches a Facebook video posted by Syrian businessman Rami Makhlouf in Damascus on May 11, 2020. (AFP)
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Dispute between Government, Makhlouf Deepens Syria's Economic Woes

A man watches a Facebook video posted by Syrian businessman Rami Makhlouf in Damascus on May 11, 2020. (AFP)
A man watches a Facebook video posted by Syrian businessman Rami Makhlouf in Damascus on May 11, 2020. (AFP)

Concerns over the economy increased in Damascus as the result of the dispute between the government and businessman Rami Makhlouf.

The latter warned of an “economic meltdown” in the event that his company, Syriatel, collapsed.

The government’s Telecommunications and Postal Regulatory Authority had informed two of Makhlouf’s companies, Syriatel and MTN mobile phone, to pay about 234 billion Syrian pounds to the state treasury as a penalty, after failing to meet a deadline to pay hundreds of millions in dues.

The businessman, who for decades had the country’s most prominent economic pillars, is facing a series of measures that would affect his shares in the state-owned Syrian Telecom Company (Syriatel), the country’s biggest mobile phone company.

Makhlouf published on Facebook on May 10 a letter from Syriatel to the government saying the company was ready to pay immediately “a first instalment to be determined on the basis of the liquidity available to the company.” He also criticized the Telecommunications and Regulatory Authority for posting a statement that contradicts his letter.

In response, the Authority issued a document on May 16, signed by five managers of Syriatel Mobile Telecom, in which they declared their approval of the Authority’s requests, but noted that Makhlouf had refused to give them the green light to proceed with the agreement.

Syria’s security bodies had launched a campaign of arrests earlier this month targeting dozens of employees of companies affiliated with Makhlouf, and stormed his house in Yaafur.

In a video on social media, the businessman implored his cousin, President Bashar Assad, to “intervene and put an end to the security services’ operations” and the release of his employees and managers.

Amid the dispute, anxiety mounted in the Syrian street over an economic deterioration, in parallel with the strict health measures imposed by the government over the coronavirus outbreak, which have compounded unemployment and poverty.



Sudan Arms Surge Raises Alarms Over Civilian Protection

Sudan says it destroyed 50,000 explosive remnants of war (AFP)
Sudan says it destroyed 50,000 explosive remnants of war (AFP)
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Sudan Arms Surge Raises Alarms Over Civilian Protection

Sudan says it destroyed 50,000 explosive remnants of war (AFP)
Sudan says it destroyed 50,000 explosive remnants of war (AFP)

A surge in deadly violence has gripped the quiet northern town of al-Dabbah, exposing the growing threat posed by the rampant spread of weapons across Sudan in the absence of effective state control.

At least eight people were killed over just two days, four in tribal clashes and four others in a street fight within the town.

The latest bloodshed comes amid a broader climate of insecurity, where gunfire has become a common soundscape. In nearby Omdurman, social media users circulated graphic footage of a young man shot dead in cold blood after resisting an attempt to steal his mobile phone.

Reports of killings and injuries from arguments and brawls settled with bullets have flooded social platforms, painting a grim picture of lawlessness. Armed robbery gangs are said to roam freely, terrorizing civilians with no security forces in sight.

As Sudan’s brutal conflict enters its third year, guns have become as commonplace in towns and villages as household items. What was once settled with fists or sticks is now resolved through the barrel of a gun.

Tens of thousands of civilians have reportedly armed themselves, citing the need for self-defense amid state collapse and the disintegration of law enforcement.

Even before the war erupted, estimates suggested around 2.2 million firearms were circulating in Sudan’s conflict zones. Since then, the figure is believed to have ballooned, with unofficial estimates placing the current number at nearly six million, most acquired privately or informally.

In al-Dabbah, local authorities confirmed tribal clashes erupted between members of the Kababish and Hawaweer tribes, leaving four dead and others wounded before security forces intervened. The following day, a quarrel between vehicle drivers escalated into a gunfight, claiming four more lives.

Meanwhile, in the Omdurman district of Al-Hattana, gunmen fatally shot a man while attempting to snatch his phone, another grim scene that social media brought into public view.

Weapons have now flooded Sudan’s markets. Eyewitnesses and former security officials say that under the brief control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum, firearms were openly sold on the street like vegetables, with prices starting at just 20,000 Sudanese pounds, roughly $10.

Security experts say this gun chaos is not a sudden phenomenon but the product of years of unchecked proliferation.

Under former President Omar al-Bashir, weapons were distributed to tribal militias to fight opposing groups. With the eruption of nationwide conflict, arms have spread from the traditional battlegrounds of Darfur and Kordofan to cities in Sudan’s north, east, and center.

Legal analyst Moaz Hadra warned of the growing dangers of “random arming,” saying some groups are being trained and armed outside Sudan to destabilize the country. “Why are these groups being trained abroad instead of within Sudan’s military institutions?” he asked when speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat.

Officials Downplay Risk, Citing Self-Defense

Despite mounting violence, Sudanese security and military officials continue to downplay the threat. They argue that most weapons are held by civilians for self-protection against RSF attacks or roaming bandits. “Should a citizen wait helplessly while armed men storm his home?” one commentator asked rhetorically.

Brigadier General Fath al-Rahman al-Toum, a police spokesman, dismissed fears of total lawlessness, saying that gun crackdowns are ongoing and that firearms possession is being treated as an exceptional situation under extraordinary circumstances.

Others, like Brigadier General Saleh Abdullah, insist that once the war ends, collecting the weapons will be “very easy,” noting that most guns were distributed under strict regulations to reserve forces and can be retrieved using serial numbers registered to each piece. “The army has always managed its weapons according to clear protocols,” he said.

Major General Mujahid Ibrahim added that Sudan’s porous borders, particularly in the west, have made it easier for arms to enter the country unchecked, exacerbating the crisis. Still, military officials say weapons loaned to civilians can be recovered thanks to detailed logs and unique identifiers.

Yet, as al-Dabbah and Omdurman reel from fresh bouts of violence, the gap between official reassurance and on-the-ground chaos continues to widen. With Sudan’s civil war showing no sign of abating, the unchecked spread of guns threatens to tear apart what remains of the country’s fragile social fabric.