Protestors storm governor’s office in southern Syrian city
Cairo, Dec 4 (EFE).- At least one person has died and seven were injured on Sunday in rare protests over worsening living conditions in the southern Syrian city of Sweida, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
“One young man died of his injuries, while another was still in intensive care, and six others suffered varying injuries by regime security forces,” the United Kingdom-based NGO reported. “The injured people were taken to the government hospital in Sweida.”
Dozens of people gathered early Sunday morning outside the Sweida’s governor’s office to protest worsening living conditions.
According to the organization, which has a broad network of collaborators on the ground, a handful of demonstrators stormed the city hall and tore up a picture of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
Protestors of the Druze-majority city denounced poor living conditions, chanted slogans calling for improvement and held banners, according to the SOHR.
“We can’t take it anymore, we don’t have the patience anymore,” some of the people gathered shouted, according to unverified footage shared by the Suwayda 24 network which covers the southern region.
Security forces responded by firing at the protesters in an attempt to disperse them.
Syrian state television reported that only “outlaws” were involved and set fire to the official documents and archives.
The United Nations has said over 2.2 million people need aid to face the Syrian winter, a 28% rise from last year.
Syria is in the throes of a deepening economic crisis exacerbated by rocketing inflation with 88% of the population unable to access basic goods, according to the UN.EFE
ar-ijm/ch
