Idlib residents prepare for Eid amid rising inflation

Amid a ceasefire between rebel groups and the Syrian government, residents of Idlib, the last rebel-held province in the country, are getting ready for Eid el-Fitr, the holiday that ends the fasting month of Ramadan.

People were out in the market on  Thursday evening,  buying goods that are customary during this holiday, including sweets and new clothes.

Ramadan will end either the night of Saturday or Sunday, depending on the sighting of the moon.

While this is the first Eid in a while that is not punctuated by shelling and airstrikes, Idlib residents now have to contend with massive inflation as a result of the recent major weakening of the Syrian pound against the dollar.

One dollar is officially 700 pounds but last week the market value rose as high as 1,700, decimating real earnings against imported goods.

The country, already under Western sanctions, has entered a new phase of economic hardship.

The currency's downward spiral has sent prices of basic commodities soaring.

Economic activity is also being hurt by restrictions imposed to combat the coronavirus, coming atop austerity measures taken during the war, which has displaced nearly half the population.