African Charity Tied to Prince Harry Admits to 'Human Rights Abuses' by Park Rangers
"We deeply regret the pain and suffering that these have caused to the victims," African Parks said in their statement
The Duke of Sussex has been involved with the organization since 2016, serving as president before joining the board of directorsAn African conservation charity backed by Prince Harry is facing intense scrutiny after acknowledging that its rangers committed human rights abuses against indigenous communities in the Republic of Congo.
African Parks, which currently manages 23 national parks and protected areas in 13 countries across the continent, had an independent investigation conducted into the allegations that their rangers raped, beat and tortured indigenous people. On May 8, the organization released a statement confirming that the investigation had concluded and found "that, in some incidents, human rights abuses have occurred." However, African Parks did not publicly release the full details of the findings by Omnia Strategy LLP, a London-based human rights law firm.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Duke of Sussex for comment. He has not publicly commented on the investigation or its findings.
"We deeply regret the pain and suffering that these have caused to the victims," African Parks said in their statement. "Omnia's process also highlighted several failures of our systems and processes that were insufficient for the level of responsibility given to us, particularly in the early years of our management of [Odzala-Kokoua National Park]."
African Parks continued, "We are committed to addressing the shortcomings that have been identified. Further, where sufficient evidence is available, we will take action against staff members implicated in incidents not yet known about, or that had not been adequately dealt with. The Board is confident that the institutional improvements implemented over the past five years, along with those planned for the coming months – incorporating valuable recommendations from Omnia – will mitigate risks in the future."
Survival International, which was among the groups to raise the abuse concerns, reacted to African Parks' statement, criticizing them for not releasing details of the investigation.
Director Caroline Pearce said, "Baka men and women have been beaten, tortured and raped in Odzala-Kokoua National Park by rangers who are managed and paid for by African Parks. The charity has known this for many years, but it was only after Survival complained to Prince Harry, and the ensuing global media story, that the charity finally commissioned this 'independent investigation.' "
'We still don't know the details of what they found, because African Parks has refused to allow the findings to be made public," Pearce continued. "It has committed to more reports, more staff and more guidelines – but such approaches have not prevented horrific abuses and violations of international human rights law in the decade or more that African Parks has known of these atrocities, and there is no reason to believe they will do so now."
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Prince Harry, 40, first partnered with African Parks in 2016 and became president of the non-profit conservation group that manages national parks across the continent the following year. In 2023, he was appointed to an elevated role as a member of the board of directors.
In 2022, the Duke of Sussex co-hosted U.S. officials, conservationists and philanthropists on a tour of protected wildlife and nature preserves under the management of African Parks in Zambia, Mozambique and Rwanda.
Africa is a place close to Prince Harry's heart — he's even called it his "second home" — and he has visited the continent on many occasions since childhood. The prince has made many public and private trips to Africa through the years, also co-founding Sentebale in 2006 with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to support young people in Southern Africa.
However, Harry recently resigned from Sentebale amid what has been characterized as a financial crisis and internal turmoil. On March 26, the Duke of Sussex and Prince Seeiso announced their "devastating" decision to step down as patrons of the charity, backing the trustees who also resigned over a fallout with chairwoman Dr. Sophie Chandauka. After the trustees asked Chandauka to resign due to financial strain under her leadership, she brought a lawsuit against the organization.
The Charity Commission, based in the U.K., confirmed they are investigating.
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