Deir Ez-Zur .. Demonstrations for poor living conditions and protesters carrying arms
Deir Ez-Zur .. Demonstrations for poor living conditions and protesters carrying arms
Since the 23rd of April, Deir Ez-Zur governorate has been witnessing protests, demanding the improvement of the service situation in the region. However, these protests have recently developed and turned to be armed, with the serious efforts by some clans to calm the situation in the region.
Most of the villages and towns in the Syrian Democratic areas of Deir Ez-Zur suffer from the scarcity of services as well as the high prices, which has given rise to people’s resentment.
Several villages, that represent a strategic belt of oil in the east of the Euphrates, witnessed protests.
According to an Internal security source north of Deir Ez-Zur, to North Press, over the past period, the protesters intended to set fire on tires and close the roads, which made the Syrian Democratic Forces arrest a number of trouble makers between clans and forces, especially that the region is dominated by tribalism.”
Officials of the Syrian Democratic Council (the political wing of the Syrian Democratic forces) have said that these protests are legitimate for people demanding their rights, as the security returns to their areas after the victory over the organization of the Islamic State.
Carrying weapons
On May the 4th, a group of protesters took up arms, in a remarkable development, and took part in a night demonstration in the village of “Jadidat Ageidat” of Al-Sour town, and opened random fire and burned tires before fleeing the area. According to Local sources (refused to be named for security reasons).
The source pointed out that the demands were concentrated on the diesel, which is sold at the price of 150 Syrian pounds (one-quarter of US dollar) in Deir Ez-Zur, while in Hasaka it cost 50 Syrian pounds. adding that they have seized a lot of oil smuggling operations to the Syrian Government areas, in the west of the Euphrates.
After the expulsion of the “Islamic state”, a series of actions of the oil investment in the region were taken, in accordance with contracts entered into with investors, which was exploited by the cells of the “Islamic State”, who intensified their activity , after they stopped being funded and lost their areas of control. According to officials of the Syrian Democratic Forces, to the media earlier.
On March 23, the Syrian Democratic Forces managed to take full control of the areas east of the Euphrates, after three months of fierce fighting in Baghouz.
Deir Ez-Zur has the largest oil wells in Syria, of which Al-Omar field has a daily production of 40,000 barrels, at least.
Beyond the demonstrations
“The protesters in the first place were demanding service of (electricity, water, and diesel), but that developed and exploited by some parties to make the situation worse in the Region”. Said the leader of Deir Ez-Zur military council, Abu Ali Fulath, in a declaration to North Press.
“We have arrested a number of protesters who have links with outsiders, and we can say that their financiers are the Islamic State, the Syrian Government, and Turkey, and the aim is to provoke sedition between Arab clans and the Syrian Democratic Forces in the region,” Fulath said, pointing out that they, as military forces, are seeking to calm the situation and block the way to any sectarian gaps or attempts to create rabble-rousing in the region.
“There are abuses”
“The services are very bad in the region,” said Abdul Aziz Muhammad from the village of Hawaj, and that they have suffered from high fuel prices, water shortages and power cuts. “We have complained to the institutions concerned, yet, there are no solutions to our problems.”
“There are abuses and violations, but it is not supposed to be a result in chaos. We must all stand together as we cooperated to expel armed militants of Da’esh,” said Mahmoud Al-Ali, a resident of Al-Sour town.
“We have been suffering for 8 years, we were humiliated and now we dream about the real freedom. ” Mahmoud said.
Individual groups
The service institutions of Deir Ez-Zur civil council (the Supreme Council of all official departments) attribute poor service conditions to their limited capabilities, which prevent the residents from meeting their needs, in light of the region’s recent exit from the war against the organization of the Islamic State.
In an interview with North Press, Hussein al-Dahesh, a member of the Legislative Council of the Deir Ez-Zur civil council, indicated that they will meet the service needs of the civilians as much as they can.
Noting that “the armed protesters are individual groups and do not represent any organizations or clans, they aim at creating sedition after the victory over Da’esh.”
“Those who carry arms have no principle,” Dahesh said. “These are being driven by outsiders and we will not accept the destruction of our country again.”
Deir Ez-Zur-NPA