Repeated drone strikes blamed on Sudan’s Armed Forces (SAF) have disrupted commercial activity across East Darfur, with residents increasingly avoiding markets and changing their travel habits amid fears of further aerial attacks.
Residents of El Daein, the state capital, told local Sudanese media that the continuing strikes have created widespread anxiety, particularly around weekly markets, commercial vehicles and crowded public spaces.
Suleiman Zakaria, a resident of El Daein, said civilians have begun abandoning trucks, Land Cruisers and other large vehicles in favour of smaller cars, fearing that larger vehicles could be mistaken for military targets.
He said the unpredictable nature of the attacks has left traders and shoppers concerned that markets could be struck without warning.
Ali Mohammed Hassan, who lives in the city’s eastern neighbourhoods, said he had stopped visiting weekly markets because of the threat of drone attacks.
He added that many other residents were taking similar precautions, contributing to declining commercial activity.
The concerns follow reported SAF drone strikes on El Daein on Monday and Wednesday, which targeted several locations across the city.
According to local Sudanese media, one strike hit a location inside a crowded market, killing two civilians and destroying several shops.
A trader said he discovered his business had been destroyed when he arrived at the market the following morning, after an overnight strike damaged several commercial premises.
The merchant described the attack as a devastating blow to civilian livelihoods at a time when communities are already struggling with the economic consequences of Sudan’s prolonged war.
Residents have also raised concerns about Rapid Support Forces (RSF) personnel parking military vehicles beneath trees and along public roads near civilian gatherings, potentially exposing surrounding communities to aerial attacks.
Local sources said a shopkeeper who objected to military vehicles being stationed among civilians was subsequently accused of supporting the SAF and its allied Joint Forces.
Although RSF authorities reportedly issued instructions prohibiting personnel from parking vehicles near civilian gatherings, residents said the measures had not been consistently enforced.
The latest disruption comes amid an intensifying campaign of drone warfare across Sudan, where markets, residential neighbourhoods and civilian infrastructure have repeatedly been caught in aerial attacks.
The United Nations condemned a series of deadly drone strikes across Sudan this week, including attacks on markets in Abyei and West Kordofan, warning of an increasingly dangerous pattern of civilian casualties.
The reported attacks in East Darfur have deepened concerns over the safety of commercial centres in RSF-controlled territory, where markets remain essential sources of food, basic supplies and income for thousands of families.
With fears of further bombardment continuing, residents say ordinary commercial activity is becoming increasingly difficult, threatening livelihoods and access to essential goods in communities already devastated by more than three years of war.
