A high-profile conservation charity with ties to Prince Harry has officially acknowledged that its rangers committed human rights abuses in a protected forest region of the Republic of Congo—an admission that has ignited fresh criticism over transparency and accountability.
African Parks, one of Africa’s largest conservation organizations and a key player in global environmental protection efforts, confirmed in a recent statement that “incidents of abuse” occurred in Odzala-Kokoua National Park, a vast area the organization manages in Congo-Brazzaville. This acknowledgment comes months after serious allegations surfaced, accusing rangers of assaulting members of the Indigenous Baka community.
The controversy traces back to an exposé by the Mail on Sunday last year, which detailed disturbing claims of beatings, waterboarding, and sexual violence by rangers allegedly tasked with protecting the park’s biodiversity. The victims, members of the semi-nomadic Baka people, say they were violently barred from accessing ancestral forest lands now designated as conservation zones.
Despite commissioning a formal review of the allegations, African Parks has not released the findings publicly. The investigation was conducted by London-based law firm Omnia Strategy LLP, which confirmed it had submitted its report to African Parks earlier this year. However, in its own statement, Omnia did not disclose any of its conclusions or recommendations. Efforts by the BBC to obtain further information from both Omnia and legal experts involved in the review were met with silence.
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Prince Harry, who joined African Parks in 2016 and was appointed to its Board of Directors in 2023 after serving six years as president, has not publicly commented on the situation. The BBC has reached out to his representatives for a response.
While the charity has vowed to improve safeguards and community engagement, critics say these promises are far from enough. Survival International, an advocacy group that has championed Indigenous rights and brought attention to the abuse claims, condemned the organization’s decision to keep the report under wraps.
“More reports, more staff, more guidelines—none of this has stopped horrific abuses in the past decade,” Survival International said in a statement. “There’s no reason to believe these new promises will protect the Baka now.”
The group also alleged that African Parks had long been aware of the mistreatment of Baka communities, dating back as far as 2013. African Parks has denied turning a blind eye, saying it attempted to collaborate with Survival when the allegations first emerged but was rebuffed. Survival, in turn, said it was protecting sources within vulnerable local communities.
In its defense, African Parks pointed to institutional reforms implemented in recent years. These include hiring an anthropologist to ensure culturally sensitive conservation practices, partnering with local human rights NGOs, and pledging to conduct a fresh human rights impact assessment.
African Parks, headquartered in Johannesburg, oversees 23 protected areas across 13 African nations and is backed by a network of influential donors. Among its listed supporters are the European Union, Walmart heir Rob Walton, and Howard Buffett, son of billionaire Warren Buffett. According to its 2023 financial report, the charity receives over $500,000 annually from its funders.
But for those advocating on behalf of Indigenous peoples like the Baka, the lack of public accountability continues to overshadow African Parks’ conservation work.
“This isn’t just about forests and wildlife,” one activist noted. “It’s about people who have lived on that land for generations and are now being silenced and pushed out in the name of protecting it.”
As scrutiny mounts, many are now calling not just for change, but for transparency—starting with the release of the full investigative findings.
