Food Items’ Prices Decrease in the Besieged Neighborhoods of Deir Ezzor
The prices of available food items in the local market has gradually decreased in the besieged neighborhoods of Deir Ezzor city. This decrease is resulted by its availability in the markets more than before, when there was a rivalry among the pro-government and Republic Palace’ merchants, as reported by JFL correspondent.
He adds ” the Republic Palace- pro merchants entered food material, where these material were airdropped by government cargo jets, then it was sold in their shops at low prices”.
The following chart indicates the prices of food items:
Item | Quantity | Previous Price / SP | Current Price / SP |
Sugar | 1 kg | 4500 | 1700 |
Tea | 1 kg | 16000 | 8000 |
Cooking oil | 1 liter | 5000 | 2000 |
Potatoes | 1 kg | 2500 | 1500 |
Onion | 1 kg | 3000 | 2000 |
Dates | 1 kg | 6000 | 3500 |
Due to this rivalry among the security members and their loyal merchants, and Republic Palace-pro merchants on the other part, the prices decreased.
It is worth noting that security members get food items throughout many ways such as; the smuggled food from “Islamic State” held areas, controlling a part of UN airdropped aids , in addition to the surplus of food of the security members’ allocations. They sell these items in the besieged neighborhoods throughout merchants.
The observatory sees the absence of UN is unjustifiable and unexplained as there are no agencies that monitor the processes of entering and distributing aids, and their role is limited to airdropping these aids, despite the fact that the quantity of these aids was not enough. This absence paved the way of for trading in civilians and utilizing their sufferings for racketeering by security apparatuses- pro merchants and Republic Palace-pro merchants alike.
Justice for Life Observatory in Deir Ezzor demands the UN to play its role to the fullest in terms of entering and distributing humanitarian aids throughout fair and effective intervention in favor of the besieged civilians in Deir Ezzor city.