00:00 Rare protests in Syria calling for the ouster of the authoritarian government have gathered
00:15 momentum over the past two weeks in scenes reminiscent of the Arab Spring uprising that
00:20 began more than 12 years ago and morphed into a multi-sided war.
00:24 Hundreds of people have protested in southern Syria to urge President Bashar al-Assad to
00:29 step down, capping nearly two weeks of demonstrations that had erupted over poor living conditions
00:34 but have spiralled into renewed calls for political change.
00:39 The protests grew out of anger over increasing economic hardships that boiled over into
00:44 demands for a political settlement to the war, which is largely at a stalemate.
00:49 They have grown daily, drawing hundreds of people who at times have torn down the ubiquitous
00:54 postures of President Bashar al-Assad and shuttered offices of the political party loyal
00:59 to him.
01:00 "Bashar out, Syria free!" shouted a large crowd on Friday in the city of Suwaida.
01:05 The demonstrations began in the south and spread even briefly, touching the capital
01:09 Damascus and another major city, Aleppo.
01:12 Most are in government-held areas, far from the frontlines of the war in the northwest,
01:16 where there is still sporadic fighting between government and opposition forces.
01:21 Similar fervent rallies have also been reported in Aleppo, Daraa, Deir Ezzor and Jabaleh.
01:27 Demonstrators are calling for sweeping political changes while decrying deteriorating living
01:32 standards, the continued incarceration of political dissidents, rampant corruption and
01:37 poor governance.
01:39 The immediate trigger for the protests was the government's decision early this month
01:42 to cut fuel subsidies, a move that sent shockwaves through a populace already grappling with
01:47 the precipitous decline of the Syrian lira.
01:50 As the value of the currency plummeted, so did the people's patience.
01:54 Friday's turnout was large despite apparent divisions within the Druze leadership over
01:57 the demonstrations.
01:58 Some Druze sheikhs have criticized protesters, called for al-Assad to step down and say that
02:03 any improvement to the socio-economic situation must come through dialogue.
02:07 Dozens of protesters are gathered on Friday in the neighborhood province of Daraa, where
02:11 the 2011 protests kicked off.
02:13 They carried the three-star flag emblematic of Syria's uprising, as well as signs criticizing
02:18 the role of Iran, a key al-Assad ally.
02:21 More than a decade of conflict has left Syria divided and mired in economic crisis.
02:26 Mr. al-Assad has managed over the years to wrest back control over the vast majority
02:30 of the country, but opposition forces and US-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters still control
02:35 swaths of the north and east.
02:37 Anger in government-controlled territory has been building for years as the economic situation
02:41 deteriorates.
02:42 About 90% of Syrians are living below the poverty line, and about 70%, i.e. 15.3 million
02:47 people, need humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations.
02:51 The recent protests began in the southern province of Suida, home to the country's
02:55 Druze sect, one of the many religious minorities in Syria.
02:58 The Druze largely sat out the 2011 Arab Spring uprising against Mr. al-Assad's rule, which
03:03 transformed within months from peaceful demonstrations into an armed uprising against an increasingly
03:08 brutal crackdown on dissent.
03:11 But the Druze did not refuse to send their young men to mandatory military service, so
03:14 as not to be party to violence against Mr. al-Assad's opponents.
03:26 [BLANK_AUDIO]
Comments