Prince Harry to leave African Parks board amid abuse allegations
African Parks says the expected departure is part of a board reshuffle as allegations involving rangers and the Baka community remain unresolved.
Prince Harry is expected to step down from the board of African Parks within weeks, as the conservation organisation faces allegations of human rights abuses by rangers in the Republic of Congo.
African Parks says the departure is part of a board reshuffle. Harry became involved with the organisation in 2016, later served as its president and joined its board in 2023. The source material does not accuse him of personal involvement in the alleged abuses.
The allegations centre on reported violence, torture and sexual abuse involving members of the Baka community at Odzala-Kokoua National Park. African Parks commissioned an investigation by Omnia Strategy, acknowledged certain instances of abuse and promised reforms. The investigation’s full report has not been made public, and the precise scale of the allegations remains unclear.
African Parks manages 24 protected areas across 13 African countries under agreements that leave the land state-owned while granting the organisation responsibility for conservation, infrastructure, tourism and anti-poaching operations. Critics, including Dutch journalist Olivier van Beemen, say that model gives the organisation extensive authority, including through armed rangers.
Van Beemen has criticised African Parks’ accountability and its handling of the allegations. The organisation rejects his portrayal, saying his book contains numerous factual inaccuracies and misleading statements, and says some cases described by him occurred outside its control. African Parks also says it maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards abuse, with human rights training and a complaints mechanism.
The controversy has implications beyond the organisation’s boardroom. European and German funding supports projects involving African Parks, raising questions about scrutiny of a delegated-management model in which conservation responsibilities are transferred to a private organisation while governments retain formal ownership of protected areas.
