A human rights organization confirmed that Palestinian refugee families in Damascus and its countryside are suffering from deteriorating living conditions and decreased purchasing power due to rising prices and the decline in the value of the Syrian pound against the dollar.
The Action Group for the Palestinians of Syria said in a report that the markets in the Palestinian camps are almost devoid of customers, and that many shops offer their goods at huge discounts, but to no avail, because most families only have cash and food aid provided by the UN agency. , which is not enough to meet basic needs.
The monitoring group added that some Palestinian refugees displaced from the Yarmouk camp to other neighborhoods in Damascus are facing difficulties in paying housing rents, water, electricity, and transportation bills, and that they are resorting to borrowing from their relatives and friends to overcome the crisis.
A number of Palestinian refugees in the Khan Al-Shih, Khan Danoun and Sabina camps demanded that UNRWA increase the value of cash and food aid to keep pace with the insane rise in prices, some of which have multiplied dozens of times in recent years.
The group quoted an economic researcher as saying that the main reason for the high prices is the pricing of goods and services in dollars on the black market, which currently exceeds 20 thousand Syrian pounds.
The researcher explained that merchants take advantage of the lack of control and competition in the market, and sell goods at exaggerated prices, taking advantage of the decline of the lira and the weakness of production, investment, and imports.
The researcher pointed out that the Syrian government contributes to this phenomenon by setting the prices of some vital goods and services in dollars, such as fuel, passports, and consumables, which increases pressure on citizens and refugees alike.
($1=14000 SYP)
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