Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has ordered a 100 per cent salary raise as the government sharply raises fuel prices, according to local media.

The salary increase, covering state employees, retirees, and military personnel, is the ninth since 2011, when the Syrian war broke out.

The country’s economy has since been mired in an economic crisis.

Before the decision, the monthly salary of civil servants had been between around US$10 and US$25 U.S., depending on the Syrian pound’s street value.

On Tuesday, the Syrian Ministry of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection raised diesel prices for transportation and bakeries by about 180 per cent and normal-octane gasoline by almost 165 per cent.

The hike in fuel prices caused a state of chaos on the streets, as many bus drivers refused to work on Wednesday.

The price hike also led to a disruption in food prices, which have increased between 30 and 100 per cent. 

(Xinhua/NAN)