An African country has cut ties with a wildlife charity associated with Prince Harry after accusing it of being ‘disrespectful’.
Chad’s environment minister Hassan Bakhit Djamous gave a damning four-page statement as he announced an end to the country’s 15-year partnership with African Parks.
He accused the charity of ‘a recurring indelicate and disrespectful attitude toward the government’.
Mr Djamous also said there had been a resurgence in poaching and a lack of investment at the reserves managed by the conservation group.
The Duke of Sussex, 41, was the president of African Parks for six years until being elevated to the governing board of directors two years ago.
African Parks said in a statement it was in talks to ‘better understand the government’s position’ and ‘explore the best way forward to support the continued protection of these critical landscapes’.
‘African Parks will continue to keep its partners and stakeholders informed, as further clarity is obtained,’ the charity said.
African Parks had led anti-poaching efforts and to restore elephant populations at the Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve and the Greater Zakouma Ecosystem, which includes the Zakouma and Siniaka-Minia national parks.
According to African Parks, the elephant population at Zakouma National Parks increased from 450 in 2010, when it took over management of the site, to over 550 by 2019.
It comes just six months after Chad renewed its agreement with the charity and is the latest blow to hit African Parks.
Last year an investigation by The Mail on Sunday discovered evidence of intimidation and abuse in the rainforests of the Republic of the Congo by guards managed and paid by the African Parks charity, including allegations of rapes and beatings.
The MoS found first-hand testimonies of atrocities inflicted on the Baka, an indigenous people once known as pygmies, to stop them entering forests where they have foraged, fished, hunted and found medicines for millennia.
One woman told of being raped by an armed guard while clinging to her newborn baby. And a teenage boy claimed he was groomed for paid sex by another guard.
A community activist said a Baka man died after being beaten and jailed without getting treatment for his injuries.
African Parks then launched an independent review and the charity has now admitted that human rights abuses occurred in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park since December 2023.
The results of the probe, carried out by London law firm Omnia Strategy LLP, then went directly to African Parks.
The charity said in a statement in May: ‘The board of African Parks has reviewed Omnia’s advice and endorsed the management plan and timeframes to implement the recommendations resulting from this process.
‘African Parks acknowledges that, in some incidents, human rights abuses have occurred, and we deeply regret the pain and suffering that these have caused to the victims.
‘Omnia’s process also highlighted several failures of our systems and processes that were insufficient for the level of responsibility given to us, particularly in the early years of our management of Odzala.’
