What is African Parks accused of? Prince Harry urged to resign as director of wildlife charity linked to allegations of torture and r*pe

African Parks, a wildlife charity where Prince Harry is a board member, has been accused of funding rangers who attacked the Baka people – an indigenous tribe from the Republic of the Congo. After the allegations came to light, Prince Harry was urged to step down from his position and help get to the bottom of the matter.

According to the Guardian, Survival International, an organization that advocates the rights of tribal and indigenous people, had alerted an unnamed board member at African Parks of the allegations of abuse by the rangers. The organization had also raised cases of women being raped and men having their heads put underwater with Prince Harry in May 2023, as per The Sun.

Consequently, the Duke's Archewell Foundation reported how he had escalated the atrocious allegations to the board members and CEO of African Parks. Since the ongoing investigation is yet to put forth any result, Caroline Pearce, a member of Survival International, has urged the Prince to step down.

Prince Harry asked to step down from African Parks (Image via X/@Survival)

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Prince Harry has been a President of African Parks since 2017

African Parks, a non-governmental organization that works for wildlife conservation and maintenance of protected areas, was first established in 2000. The organization protects over 22 national parks and protected areas in 12 African countries and has employed over 1,100 rangers.

Prince Harry was first involved in the African Parks’ movement of hundreds of animals from Liwonde and Majete to Nkhotakota in 2016-2017. Once the Duke's assistance with the translocation was successfully completed, he was appointed the charity's president in late 2017.

Netizens reacting to PrinceHarry's involvement in the Baka case (Image via X/@duchess_salty)

The Daily Mail’s investigation report, published on January 28, claimed that these rangers, employed by African Parks, were allegedly involved in attacks on the Baka people residing in the rainforests of the Republic of the Congo. The allegations included acts of torture, beating, and r*pe.

Some of the tribe members spoke to the sources in the Daily Mail, talking about the brutal behavior of African Parks. Here are their statements:

“African Parks are killing us slowly. We’re suffering so much that we might as well be dead.”

“The past was far better for us – and the reason is all down to African Parks.”

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African Parks accuses Survival International of non-co-operation in its statement

Enter caption Survival International's tweet about the Baka case (Image via X/@Survival)

In response to Daily Mail’s report, the board members and executive of African Parks shared a statement that also accused Survival International of their failure to cooperate.

“We are aware of the serious allegations regarding human rights abuses by eco-guards against local people living adjacent to Odzala-Kokoua national park in the Republic of the Congo, which have recently received media attention.”

“We immediately launched an investigation through an external law firm based on the information we had available, while also urging Survival International to provide any and all facts they had. It’s unfortunate that they have chosen not to co-operate, despite repeated requests, and we continue to ask for their assistance.”

“We encourage anyone with knowledge of any abuses to report them to us or to the Congolese law enforcement authorities, which will assist with the investigation and ensure that any abuses are brought to justice.”

According to the Guardian, Fiore Longo, the head of Survival International’s conservation campaign, claimed that recent news was no surprise to her, as abuse cases in the region were a frequent occurrence in the last decade.

Richard Fitzwilliams, the Royal critic, shared his thoughts about the recent allegations with The Sun, saying that Prince Harry must intervene and take decisive action.

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