Charity linked to Prince Harry admits that human rights violations in Congo-Brazzaville

An important charity for nature conservation in connection with Prince Harry has admitted that human rights violations were committed by his rangers in Congo-Brazzaville, after an independent assessment of accusations of members of the Baka community against African Parks Rangers.

In a report that was published last year by the British newspaper De Post on SundayMembers of the community accused African parks rangers of beating, waterboarding and raping to prevent them from having access to their ancestral forests, which are now in a conservation area.

But despite setting an independent assessment into the actions of its rangers in Congo-Brazzaville, African Parks did not make the findings of the assessment audience.

Instead, it has published a statement in which it is acknowledged that human rights violations took place in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park, which manages it. It has excluded details of the abuse.

The assessment, carried out by Omnia Strategy LLP, a law firm located in London under the leadership of Cherie Blair, was handed directly to African parks.

In a statement Omnia said that since December 2023 it has conducted an independent investigation into the alleged abuse in Odzala-Kokoua.

The statement did not contain his findings and recommendations, which it said was sent directly to African parks.

The BBC started contact with both Omnia and lawyers of Doughty Street Chambers, who was involved in the investigation, to ask for their findings, but they refused to comment over their published statement.

The BBC has also requested commentary from Prince Harry.

African Parks said it had improved security processes in the past five years, both in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park and in Institutional. Additional measures that it has taken include naming an anthropologist to ensure that the Baka communities are better supported, together with the NGOs of the local human rights to support the local community and it will perform an independent assessment of the human rights effect.

The Charity Survival International, who lobbys for the rights of indigenous population, and the issue of abusing the Baka people with Prince Harry, criticized the decision of African park not to make the findings of the study public.

Survival said the BBC: “African parks have committed themselves to more reports, more staff and more guidelines – but such approaches have not been horrible abuses and violations of international human rights legislation that have known African parks of these cruelty in the decade or more, and there is no reason to believe that now”.

When the allegation was first made public last year, Survival said that African parks had been aware of the alleged abuse of the Baka people since 2013.

At the time, African parks said that it had contacted you to survive to find out more, but that the latter had refused to cooperate.

Survival said it wanted to protect its sources in the local community for fear of retaliation.

African Parks, with headquarters in Johannesburg, is perhaps one of the greatest charities in Africa. It manages 23 protected areas in 13 African countries and is supported by powerful customers.

Prince Harry is on the board and has been involved in charity since 2016. In 2023, after serving as president for six years, he became a member of the board of directors, the administrative body of the organization.

Be on websiteAfrican parks mentions a number of controversial donors, including the European Union, Rob Walton, heir to the Walmart Fortune, and Howard Buffett, son of Warren Buffet.

In his annual report from 2023, the charity said that his financiers gave more than $ 500,000 (£ 375,000) a year.