A conservation charity linked to Prince Harry, African Parks, has acknowledged human rights abuses committed by its rangers in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park in Congo-Brazzaville.
The charity manages 23 protected areas across 13 African countries and has faced allegations of abuse against the indigenous Baka community.
Members of the Baka community accused African Parks rangers of beating, waterboarding, and raping locals to prevent them from accessing their ancestral forests.
An independent review into the allegations was conducted by Omnia Strategy LLP, a London-based law firm, but the findings have not been made public.
African Parks claims to have improved its safeguarding processes and appointed an anthropologist to support the Baka communities.
However, Survival International, a charity advocating for indigenous people’s rights, criticizes African Parks for not sharing the investigation results and questions the effectiveness of their measures in preventing future abuses.
