Gasoline prices hike in NE Syria due to Semalka’s closure
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Gasoline prices have hiked recently in northeast Syria due to the continued closure of the Semalka-Faysh Khabour border crossing.
On May 11, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) closed the border crossing, which links the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) and northeast Syria, until further notice.
The owner of a gas station in Qamishli city, northeast Syria, said on Saturday that the price of a liter of premium gasoline has risen to 8,980 Syrian pounds ($1), compared to 7,355 ($0.8), after Semalka’s closure.
He added to North Press that the continued closure of the crossing would lead to a shortage of fuel and, consequently, its price would increase even more, “especially since we import fuel from the KRI.”
This is the third time the price of gasoline has increased since the beginning of 2023.
The Semalka–Faysh Khabur is one of the most crucial border crossings for people who live in areas-held by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), especially after the closure of al-Ya’rubiyah (Tel Kocher) border crossing in 2020 due to a Russian-Chinese veto.
The pricing of the fuel imported from the KRI is set by the AANES’ fuel company, and it changes periodically according to the exchange rate of the Syrian pound against the US dollar.
The closure resulted in the loss of essential goods in northeast Syria, including infant formula and construction materials like cement.