After nine years of war, Syria's economy is as devastating as many of its cities. The Corona pandemic and the crisis in neighboring Lebanon have worsened the situation. Next week, new US sanctions are expected against all countries and companies dealing with the government of Syria. For each day, the value of the Syrian pound now falls to new record lows.

- Food prices are today sixteen times higher than they were before the war. For an ordinary family who wants to put food on the table for their children, the challenge has never been so great, says Jessica Lawson, on the UN's World Food Program World Food Program to SVT.  

She says that the conflict in the country is leading to hunger but that there are several other reasons that make the situation so vulnerable now.

At the beginning of the year, a US dollar was traded for 700 Syrian pounds. Today, a dollar costs more than 3,000 Syrian pounds.

al-Assad has kicked the prime minister

During the past week, protests have been held against the high prices in several places. In Suweida, southern Syria, where many residents have been loyal to the Syrian government in the past, protesters have demanded the departure of President Bashar al-Assad.

In a surprising maneuver, the President kicked off Prime Minister Imad Khamis yesterday, who has been sitting in his post since 2016. Khamis is being replaced by former Water Resources Minister Hussein Arnous.

"People are getting desperate"

The war in Syria has been going on since 2011, killing more than 380,000 people.

- We are following the protests, they are a sign that people are starting to get desperate. 9 million people are not getting enough calories in Syria today. They tell us that they are in debt and sell their assets to buy food. That means it will be worse before it gets better, says Jessica Lawson of the World Food Program to SVT.

Even before the corona pandemic, 80 percent of Syria's inhabitants were considered poor.