A protester and a policeman have reportedly been killed during rare demonstrations in the southern Syrian city of Sweida. Crowds angry because of the worsening economic conditions in Syria stormed the governor’s office. Eyewitnesses say the protesters set fire to the building amid exchanges of gunfire in the Druze-majority city. Earlier about 200 demonstrators were reportedly calling for President Bashar al-Assad’s overthrow. Syria is in the grip of a severe economic downturn. This has led to spiralling prices and increasing anger towards President Assad’s regime in Sweida, which has avoided the worst violence of the Syrian war. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that a police officer was killed when protesters tried to storm the police station. A protester was shot dead when security forces opened fire after demonstrators entered the government building, SOHR chief Rami Abdel Rahman told the AFP news agency. “The governor’s office was burnt completely from the inside,” said Rayan Maarouf, a civic activist and editor of Suwayda 24, a local website that covers the region. Several people were wounded in the exchange of gunshots, he told Reuters, adding it was unclear where the shooting came from. Syrian state media said “outlaws” had stormed the governor’s office and burned files and official papers. The Turkey-based opposition Syria TV channel meanwhile reported that “hundreds” of protesters turned out to demonstrate against deteriorating living conditions, tearing up posters of the president inside and near the building, while calling for the “downfall of the regime”.

• Why has the Syrian war lasted 11 years?

SOHR reported that “dozens” of demonstrators gathered in Sweida town centre “to protest against the deteriorating living conditions and the failure of the regime in providing basic services”. It cited frequent power outages, water cuts, high fuel and food prices, and a breakdown in public security as reasons for the demonstration. Syria has been at war since President Assad’s forces cracked down on pro-democracy protests in 2011. Hundreds of thousands have died and millions have been displaced. https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75600 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75804 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74272 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75799 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74096 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74091 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75784 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74237 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75779 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75560 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74227 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74081 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74076 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75744 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74066 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75734 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75530 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75729 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75724 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74036 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75958 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74192 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74026 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75948 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74016 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75704 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75490 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74001 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75600/beIN_SPORTS_Croatia_vs_Japan_Live_Stream%F0%9D%9A%81eddit_ON https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75804/OfficialRedditFIFA_World_Cup_Qatar_2022_LiVe_Strea https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74272/+CrackstreamsFIFA_World_Cup_2022_Live_StreamReddit https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75799/TOTAL_SPORTEK_FIFA_World_Cup_2022_Free_LIVE_STREAM https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74096/++Blacktie_Sports_-_Free_Reddit_FIFA_World_Cup_202 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74091/beIN_SPORTS_FIFA_World_Cup_2022_Live_Stream%F0%9D%9A%81eddit https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75784/FREE_STREAMING_Watch_FIFA_World_Cup_Live_Streaming https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74237/LIVESTREAM_TV_FIFA_World_Cup_Qatar_2022_Live_Free_ https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75779/++RedditStreams_Croatia_vs_Japan_Live_StreamReddit https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75560/RedditStreamS_Croatia_vs_Japan_Live_StreamReddit_O https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74227/++OfficialRedditFIFA_World_Cup_Croatia_vs_Japan_20 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74081/CrackstreamsCroatia_vs_Japan_Live_StreamReddit_ON_ https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74076/+RedditStreamSJapan_vs_Croatia_Live_StreamReddit_O https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75744/RedditStreamsJapan_vs_Croatia_Live_StreamReddit_ON https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74066/Blacktie_Sports_-_Free_Reddit_Croatia_vs_Japan_Buf https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75734/JIOCINEMA_Japan_vs_Croatia_Free_LIVE_STREAM_120522 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75530/FUBO_TV_Japan_vs_Croatia_Free_LIVE_STREAM_120522n https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75729/SLING_TV_Japan_vs_Croatia_Free_LIVE_STREAM_120522n https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75724/YOUTUBE_TV_Japan_vs_Croatia_Free_LIVE_STREAM_12052 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74036/HULU_Japan_vs_Croatia_Free_LIVE_STREAM_120522n https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75958/TOTAL_SPORTEK_Japan_vs_Croatia_Free_LIVE_STREAM_12 https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74192/Reddit_FIFA_World_Cup_2022_StreamS_-_Japan_vs_Croa https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74026/Croatia_vs_Japan_Live_Stream_Reddit_amp_Crackstrea https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75948/FREE_STREAMING_Watch_Croatia_vs_Japan_Live_Streami https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74016/%F0%9D%90%8B%F0%9D%90%88%F0%9D%90%95%F0%9D%90%84%F0%9D%90%92%F0%9D%90%93%F0%9D%90%91%F0%9D%90%84%F0%9D%90%80%F0%9D%90%8CTV_Japan_vs_Croatia_Live_Broad https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75704/beIN_SPORTS_Japan_vs_Croatia_Live_Streaming_Broadc https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/75490/+WATCHFREE_Japan_vs_Croatia_LiveStream_Online_TV_B https://new.c.mi.com/ng/post/74001/LIVESTREAMTv_Croatia_vs_Japan_live_Online_Tv_World But Sweida province has been spared the violence seen in other parts of the country due to the Druze sect making efforts to avoid being drawn into the war, that pits mainly Sunni rebels against Assad’s rule.