Indigenous rights group calls on Prince Harry to step down from African Parks board

The Duke of Sussex, 41, attended a fundraising event in Scottsdale, Arizona this week

Survival International, an indigenous rights charity, has called on Prince Harry to step down as a member of African Parks’ board of directors.

African Parks assumes full responsibility for managing national parks across 13 countries in Central, Southern, East and West Africa, protecting wildlife and supporting local communities.

 

The Duke of Sussex became affiliated with the organisation in 2016, transitioning from an on-the-ground volunteer to the official President.

He became an officially appointed member of the Board of Directors in 2023.

Harry, 41, attended a fundraising event in Scottsdale, Arizona this week as the organisation seeks to raise an additional $1billion (£743million).

It comes as African Parks has faced severe scrutiny following admissions and allegations of serious wrongdoing across its African operations.

Following an independent investigation by law firm Omnia Strategy, African Parks admitted in May 2025 that its eco-guards committed severe human rights abuses, including rape and beatings, against the indigenous Baka people in the Republic of the Congo’s Odzala-Kokoua National Park.

While the non-profit organisation acknowledged systemic failures, critics have condemned its decision to keep the full investigation report confidential.

Prince Harry

An indigenous rights group has called on Prince Harry to step down from the African Parks board

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In Chad, the Government temporarily suspended African Parks’ management mandate over allegations of fraud, financial mismanagement, and unexplained wildlife deaths, though operations were later reinstated following pressure from international donors like the European Union.

On Wednesday, Survival International claimed to the Times that “the problems on the ground have not been solved”.

Caroline Pearce, director of Survival International, told the publication: “It is outrageous to see Harry’s continued support to African Parks despite the horrific human rights abuses committed by its rangers against the Baka.”

In response, a spokesman for African Parks said: “Over the past several years, African Parks has made substantial and sustained investment in human rights safeguards in Odzala-Kokoua national park.

\u200bCaroline Pearce

Caroline Pearce is Executive Director of Survival International

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“This has included the establishment of a fully operational grievance and redress mechanism, three independent human rights NGO partners providing trusted reporting channels for local communities around the park, and an independent panel of eminent African judges and human rights specialists who oversee the grievance mechanism, including the handling of all serious grievances.”

Meanwhile, representatives for the Duke of Sussex referred the Times to the May 2025 statement made by African Parks, which read: “Specifically, in Odzala, we will take action against staff members implicated in previously unknown incidents or those that had not been adequately dealt with, where sufficient evidence is available.”

There is no suggestion that Prince Harry was involved in, aware of, or connected to any of the alleged abuses.

The allegations relate to conduct by eco-guards operating in protected areas managed by African Parks, not to members of the charity’s board.

No allegations of wrongdoing have been made against the Duke of Sussex personally.

GB News has contacted African Parks and the Duke of Sussex for an independent comment.

CRE: https://www.gbnews.com/royal/prince-harry-african-parks-statement-survival-international