Protesters in the al-Hol area east of Hasakah province blocked the main route used by fuel tankers heading into other parts of Syria, demonstrating against worsening living conditions.
The move came amid calls for demonstrations in Hasakah, Qamishli, al-Shaddadi, al-Yarubiyah, Ras al-Ain, Tell Hamis, and Tell Brak — areas collectively known as Syria’s Jazira region — and opposition to the implementation of integration measures perceived as favoring the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) at the expense of other local communities.
Economic hardship has deepened in eastern Syria at a time when residents had hoped for relief following the January 29 agreement between the Syrian government and the SDF, which provides for the integration of the Autonomous Administration’s institutions into the structures of the Syrian state.
Although economic pressures are affecting all parts of Syria, they may be particularly severe in the country’s eastern region, especially in the aftermath of the Euphrates flooding disaster. Researcher Abdul Wahab Assi said that continued economic strain could prompt residents to reassess the government-SDF integration process, which they see as moving too slowly.
In his view, some residents may attribute part of the deterioration in living conditions to the broader instability resulting from the sluggish pace of integration — not because the process itself has directly caused services to decline, but because ongoing administrative and political uncertainty affects essential sectors such as bread supplies, fuel, electricity, employment opportunities, and development, particularly in agriculture.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Assi added that the integration process may also have generated genuine concerns among segments of the population about the possible implementation of economic policies, whether related to customs duties, taxes, crop procurement, or agricultural support, that fail to take into account the region’s unique circumstances and already fragile economy. “Any such decision would have a direct impact on people’s livelihoods,” he stated.
Assi further noted that there is little evidence to suggest that all residents of eastern Syria view accelerated integration as an automatic solution to economic and development challenges. Rather, some groups remain wary that integration could lead to policies, which do not reflect the region’s specific needs.
On Sunday, residents of Umm Hujayrah, a town in the al-Hol countryside east of Hasakah, staged a protest during which they blocked several roads and prevented a convoy of fuel tankers from traveling into other parts of the country. Video footage circulated by local media showed the demonstration. According to the Hasakah Media Center, protesters called for improved public services, the delivery of basic necessities, and relief from mounting economic pressures.
Reports from Syria’s Jazira region indicate that a combination of factors has contributed to worsening living conditions, amid a widespread perception among many Arab residents that the integration process is being carried out primarily in the interests of the SDF rather than other communities.
Journalist Khalil Hussein, a native of the Jazira region, said this perception has been reinforced by rising prices resulting from newly imposed customs duties - previously minimal in the area - as well as higher fuel costs.
He argued that SDF-controlled areas have been less affected because oil fields in Hasakah remain under SDF control and much of the oil is directed to predominantly Kurdish areas. Oil leaving Qamishli, for example, is sent to Ain al-Arab (Kobani) rather than to places such as al-Shaddadi, raising questions about the benefits of integration.
Hussein told Asharq Al-Awsat that residents of these areas are no longer primarily concerned with who controls or administers their territories. Instead, their main concern is improving what he described as their harsh living conditions.
Meanwhile, activists in the Jazira region called for demonstrations across predominantly Arab areas in opposition to the integration process.
“What is taking place before our eyes today is not the integration of these militias into state institutions. Rather, it is the government itself being absorbed into their structure and an explicit handover of control over our lives to those who displaced us and killed our sons,” Activist Suhaib al-Yaarubi wrote on social media.
At the same time, residents of the southern countryside of al-Yarubiyah appealed to the Syrian government to intervene and secure drinking water supplies amid severe shortages and the failure of water tankers to reach areas that lack wells and water networks.
Local sources said that water shortages in rural Hasakah worsen during the summer as temperatures rise. Higher fuel prices have also driven up the cost of tanker-delivered drinking water.
Residents of southern and eastern rural Hasakah complain that their areas have been neglected.
According to journalist Khalil Hussein, years of SDF control have brought no significant development projects to these districts, while services such as hospitals, schools, and universities have been set up in cities including Hasakah and Qamishli.
He criticized the SDF’s treatment of predominantly Arab rural areas of Hasakah, saying they have been viewed largely as “a commercial market for the distribution of goods.”
