Syrians in Damascus struggle for essentials as rebel offensive cuts off supplies

Food prices are up and shelves empty, with residents fearing opposition takeover

Daily commodities are increasingly in short supply in Damascus. AFP

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Syrians in Damascus are grappling with food shortages and skyrocketing prices amid panic buying, as residents anticipate an advance on the capital from rebels seeking to topple President Bashar Al Assad.

Supplies are dwindling with major roads to the city blocked off, while generators and heating systems ramped up in the winter are swallowing scarce fuel stocks.

In the space of a week, the price of fuel has doubled and shoppers have been stocking up on bread, food, and other commodities in anticipation of a breakdown in order.

“The city is empty at night ... Transportation is almost non-existent, prices are crazy, and there is no gas in this city or gasoline for heating,” activist Muhammad Solaiman told The National.

The cost for a packet of sugar has jumped from around 11,000 Syrian pounds (85 US cents) to about 15,000.

Damascus welder Muhammad Al Zein, 55, said he went to buy supplies for his family but found shelves empty on Saturday.

"People are now paying ridiculous sums as the goods are now monopolised and some of the stores are empty,” he told The National.

"How are we expected to get the money to pay for all of this? I went to buy some groceries and ended up paying two million pounds. My monthly salary is around that entire amount.”

Price increases are becoming the norm, Mr Al Zein said. “At a minimum, prices have gone up by between 35 and 50 per cent and it's getting even worse ... There has been a noticeable surge in the demand for essential goods like sugar, oil, and lentils. This is increasing as more people are coming from the provinces,” he said.

“To some merchants who raised their prices during the hours of yesterday evening and this morning in all the governorates ... you exploit people's needs and set prices according to your mood.”

Damascus-based content creator Khaled Taghlibi called on government officials to intervene in the market. He said the "missiles of the merchants" were as hard to bear as the real missiles of war.

City governor Muhammad Tariq Kreishati released a statement saying that demand had been pushed up for daily goods due to people in need arriving in the capital after fleeing the rebel offensive.

The exchange rate with the US dollar has fallen to 19,000 from 15,000 before the rebel offensive began. In Aleppo the currency is down to about 25,000 to the dollar due to the dual use of the Turkish Lira in the area.

Electricity supply to Damascus and surrounding areas has also deteriorated, with residents receiving only one hour of power every five hours.

In some neighbourhoods, the hour of electricity comes only once every 11 hours.

Many Syrians are struggling to understand how this all is happening amid a lack of clarity from state institutions and the media.

“This situation puts the mind in a frenzy. There is no one among officials coming out to declare, discuss or even disown the situation," said radio personality Samer Yousef from local station Sham FM. "Where are they?”