In brief
The conservation charity African Parks, associated with Prince Harry, has recognized that human rights abuses occurred in Africa, following allegations of violence against the Baka people. However, it has withheld details of a recent independent investigation into these claims, drawing criticism from human rights advocates.
A significant conservation charity linked to Prince Harry, African Parks, has admitted to committing human rights abuses by its rangers in Congo-Brazzaville. This acknowledgment follows an independent review spurred by allegations from the Baka community. The allegations, initially reported by the Mail on Sunday, included serious accusations such as beating, waterboarding, and rape conducted by rangers to prevent locals from accessing their ancestral forests, now designated as a conservation area. Despite commissioning an independent review into these allegations, African Parks has remained opaque, choosing not to release specific findings. Instead, the organization has simply stated that human rights abuses did take place in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park, which it manages, but has kept the details of these abuses secret. The review was conducted by London-based Omnia Strategy LLP, led by Cherie Blair, and has reportedly been underway since December 2023. However, the firm did not disclose its findings or recommendations publicly.In a bid to show accountability, African Parks cited improvements to its safeguarding processes over the past five years, including the appointment of an anthropologist to aid the Baka communities and collaborations with local human rights NGOs. However, the charity has faced severe backlash for opting not to publicize the independent investigation's results. Survival International, an advocacy group for indigenous rights that elevated concerns about the Baka people's treatment to Prince Harry, criticized African Parks for failing to learn from past abuses despite their promises of more accountability and better guidelines.The charity's controversy does not emerge in a vacuum, as it has earned support from prominent patrons and manages numerous protected areas across 13 African countries. Prince Harry has been involved with African Parks since 2016, advancing to the Board of Directors in 2023 after serving as its president for six years. Despite these developments, questions linger over how effectively the organization can address the serious accusations against it.
