<p>BEIRUT — President Bashar Assad sacked the governor of war-ravaged Syria’s Central Bank on Tuesday amid a crash in the currency in recent months.</p>
<p>State media did not give a reason for the removal of Hazem Qarfoul from the post he held since late 2018. The Syrian pound set a record in March trading on the black market at 4,600 pounds to one U.S. dollar before improving to 3,100. The official price remains 1,256 Syrian pounds to the dollar.</p>
<p>At the start of the conflict in mid-March 2011, the U.S. dollar was worth 47 Syrian pounds.</p>
<p>The currency crash has thrown more Syrians into poverty. The pound has been hit hard by the war, corruption, Western sanctions and more recently a financial and economic collapse in neighboring Lebanon. Syrians are believed to have billions of dollars blocked in Lebanese banks that have imposed harsh capital controls since late 2019.</p>
<p>The average salary in Syria is about 90,000 pounds ($29) per month making it difficult for many Syrians to survive.</p>
<p>The United Nations estimates that nearly 80% of Syrians live under the poverty line. In recent months, fuel and wheat have been in short supply, driving the government to reduce subsidies and ration resources.</p>
