Aleppo crippled by fuel crisis
Aleppo's fuel crisis will only worsen with US sanctions on Iranian oil and the Syrian Democratic Forces' decision to stop smuggled oil from entering the regime-controlled city.
ALEPPO, Syria — The Syrian regime-held city of Aleppo is in the midst of a fuel crisis. Since early April, fuel shortages have plagued the city, where hundreds of vehicles queue daily at gas stations to get a few liters. Fuel scarcity has crippled the public and private transport sectors, prompting a rise in transport costs as well as fuel prices on the black market.
Damascus, Homs, Hama and Latakia are also suffering from fuel shortages, which regime officials attribute to the halt of Iranian oil supplies as a result of US economic sanctions.
As part of the government’s austerity measures to counter the crisis, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources issued a decision April 15 to limit gasoline allocation to 20 liters per five days for private vehicles and every two days for taxi cabs.
Some of Aleppo’s gas stations continue to sell limited quantities of gasoline, as they are open intermittently, for a period not exceeding two hours per day, while others have totally stopped, given the lack of supply. Cars are seldom seen on the streets of Aleppo, as many car owners prefer to park their cars in front of their residences rather than wait in long lines or buy gasoline at double the price.
