A/HRC/42/63 Transitional Military Council, Lieutenant General Dagalo, and representatives of the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement. 20. On 7 May, the Chair of the national human rights commission, Iman Fatharahman, was removed and replaced by Hurria Ismail. The new Chair had previously served in the position, but she had been dismissed by the former Government in 2018. 21. Leaders of the Transitional Military Council and the Forces for Freedom and Change engaged in talks in Khartoum through April and May, while thousands of people continued daily sit-ins in the city. By early June, as talks produced minimal results and tensions mounted, security forces led by the Rapid Support Forces acted on 3 June to disperse the sit-in in front of the army headquarters, reportedly using excessive force that resulted in numerous civilian deaths and injuries. Security operations against protesters continued in the days after. Following the events of 3 June, talks were suspended. Support from an Ethiopian mediator and a special envoy from the African Union was later provided to facilitate the resumption of the talks. 22. Sudanese authorities reported that the death toll had reached 70 in the two weeks from 3 June, while the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said that at least 115 civilians had been killed. A national investigation committee was established and chaired by a representative of the Attorney General. 23. The Peace and Security Council of the African Union decided on 6 June to suspend the participation of the Sudan in all of the organization’s activities until the effective establishment of civilian leadership. On 24 June, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights informed the Human Rights Council that she had not received a response from the Government to her request for access to investigate allegations of human rights violations committed since 3 June. 24. On 30 June, massive protests were reported across cities in the Sudan, including Khartoum, Omdurman, Kassala, Al-Gedaref, Madani, Port Sudan, Atbarah, El Fasher, Nyala, Zalingie and Kosti, in response to the calls from the Sudanese Professionals Association for a civilian-led transitional authority. Excessive use of force by the security forces was reported as leading to the killing of at least 7 civilians, including a medical professional, and to the injury of more than 180 people. Reports also suggested that members of the Rapid Support Forces and other security forces had raided three hospitals, including the military hospital in Omdurman, the public hospital in Al-Gedaref and AlTabib hospital in Khartoum. IV. Main human rights challenges A. Economic and social rights 25. At the start of the mass demonstrations in December 2018, the main demand of protesters was for relief from the effects of the severe economic crisis in the Sudan, especially the steep rise by the end of 2018 in the cost of food, fuel and other essential commodities (see para. 10 above). 26. The negotiations that followed the lifting of United States economic sanctions (see para. 11 above) were focused on six tracks in total, including making additional progress on the cessation of hostilities in Darfur and the Two Areas, improving humanitarian access, enhancing cooperation on counter-terrorism, and making progress on human rights. However, the United States suspended the talks after the removal of President al-Bashir, pending the establishment of a civilian-led transition authority. 27. According to the humanitarian country team in the Sudan, over 8 million people needed humanitarian assistance before the events of 3 June 2019. It reported that high inflation rates, currency depreciation and steep price rises for food, medicine and other key commodities had decreased purchasing power and reduced access to food, health care, education, water and other key essentials for already vulnerable communities. The developments had taken place against a backdrop of years of conflict in Darfur, Southern 6