IDLIB, Syria: Thousands took to the streets in Syria’s last major rebel bastion of Idlib Monday to mark 10 years since the nationwide anti-government protests that sparked the country’s devastating civil war.
In the extremist-dominated stronghold’s main city, crowds marched, some waving the opposition’s three-star flag or holding up images of those killed during the conflict.
“Freedom, freedom, freedom,” they sang in Idlib city, exactly as did the first protesters in 2011 demanding an end to President Bashar Assad’s rule.
“The people want the fall of the regime,” they shouted, echoing the slogan adopted by protesters elsewhere in the Arabic-speaking region in the spring of 2011.
One of those marching, Hana Dahneen, said: “We came to renew the pledge we made in 2011 when we decided to oust Assad.
“We had hoped to topple the regime from day one,” she said.
“But it unleashed all kinds of weapons against the innocent people to crush the revolution.”
Syria’s war has killed more than 388,000 people and displaced millions of Syrians inside the country and abroad.
But today Assad is back in control of more than 60 percent of the country after a string of Russia-backed victories against rebels and militants.
A decade on, Assad looks set to win a new presidential election this summer in regime-held areas.
Idlib, whose 2.9 million inhabitants have been protected by a cease-fire since March 2020, is one of the few key areas still holding out against the Damascus government.
“We will remain committed to our... revolution even if it takes 50 years,” Dahneen said.
As the conflict entered its 11th year on Monday, the head of the UN refugee agency looked back on what he said was “one of the largest refugee crises in modern times.”
“Ten years of the Syrian crisis have inflicted unimaginable human suffering and pain,” UNHCR head Filippo Grandi said.
“The world has failed Syrians,” he said, while acknowledging the huge efforts made to accommodate Syria refugees.
The war has displaced some 6.7 million people inside Syria, and almost 5.6 million Syrians abroad, mostly to neighboring countries, according to UN figures.
Endless rounds of UN-backed peace talks have failed to stem the bloodshed, and have in recent years been overshadowed by a parallel negotiations track led by Moscow and rebel backer Ankara.
Thousands rally in Syria’s Idlib to mark 10 years since uprising
https://arab.news/nurm7
Thousands rally in Syria’s Idlib to mark 10 years since uprising
- In the extremist-dominated stronghold’s main city, crowds marched, some waving the opposition’s three-star flag
- Syria’s war has killed more than 388,000 people and displaced millions
Baghdad traders protest new customs tariffs
- The demonstrators gathered outside the General Customs Directorate on Sunday, chanting slogans against corruption and rejecting the new fees
BAGHDAD: Hundreds of traders and owners of customs clearance companies protested in central Baghdad on Sunday, demanding that Iraq’s government reverse recently imposed customs tariffs they say have sharply increased their costs and disrupted trade.
The new tariffs that took effect on Jan. 1 were imposed to reduce the country’s debt and reliance on oil revenues, as oil prices have fallen.
Iraq faces a debt of more than 90 trillion Iraqi dinars ($69 billion) — and a state budget that remains reliant on oil for about 90 percent of revenues, despite attempts to diversify.
But traders say the new tariffs — in some cases as high as 30 percent — have placed an unfair burden on them. Opponents have filed a lawsuit aiming to reduce the decision, which Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court is set to rule on Wednesday.
The demonstrators gathered outside the General Customs Directorate on Sunday, chanting slogans against corruption and rejecting the new fees.
“We used to pay about 3 million dinars per container, but now in some cases they ask for up to 14 million,” said Haider Al-Safi, a transport and customs clearance company owner.
“Even infant milk fees rose from about 495,000 dinars to nearly 3 million.”
He said that the new tariffs have caused a backlog of goods at the Umm Qasr port in southern Iraq and added that electric vehicles, previously exempt from customs duties, are now subject to a 15 percent fee.
“The main victim is the citizen with limited income, and government employee whose salary barely covers his daily living, those who have to pay rent, and have children with school expenses — they all will be affected by the market,” said Mohammed Samir, a wholesale trader from Baghdad.
Protesters also accused influential groups of facilitating the release of goods in exchange for lower unofficial payments, calling it widespread corruption.
Many traders, they said, are now considering routing their imports through the Kurdistan region, where fees are lower.
The protests coincided with a nationwide strike by shop owners, who closed markets and stores in several parts of Baghdad to oppose the tariff increase.
In major commercial districts, shops remained shut and hung up banners reading “Customs fees are killing citizens.”
