A wave of pain and frustration is sweeping through the heart of Lilongwe's markets as vendors decry the devastating impact of violent demonstrations that have crippled their daily business and endangered their livelihoods.

From the bustling stalls of Lilongwe Main Market to the roadside stands in Area 22B, small-scale traders--who live hand-to-mouth--are pleading for peace, saying protests driven by political motives are robbing them of their only means of survival.

"This is heartbreaking," said Laston Sulan, a vendor and part-time security guard at the main market. "We depend on daily sales to feed our families. But today, look around--business is dead. No customers, no movement. How are we supposed to eat?"

Sulan, echoing the concerns of many, said it was unfair for a few individuals with "personal agendas" to plunge entire communities into chaos while ordinary citizens pay the price.

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Christopher Gona, who deals in scrap metal, voiced similar frustration. "These demonstrations are not for the benefit of the nation. They're for the benefit of a few. Meanwhile, we're left counting losses."

But it was Grace Makwiza, a second-hand clothes seller from Area 22B, whose voice trembled with emotion as she recounted the horror of what she witnessed.

"People lost money while running for safety. Phones were snatched. Some collapsed from high blood pressure. It was terrifying," she said. "We are already struggling. We have nothing to fall back on. Please--if you want to fight for your cause, do it far from where innocent people are trying to survive."

Her message was clear: "Don't use our pain as your battlefield. We're pleading for peace, for protection, for the right to earn a living without fear."

The vendors are calling on authorities and organizers of public demonstrations to consider the ripple effects of such actions on struggling Malawians who rely on daily earnings to keep their families afloat.