Another African charity blow for Prince Harry
The government of Chad has cut ties with an African wildlife charity where Prince Harry was a board member.
The nonprofit conservation organization African Parks’ authority to manage key animal reservations in Chad was withdrawn on Monday.
African Parks managed 22 national parks and reserves in 12 countries, including the Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve, two wildlife reserves in Chad, and the Greater Zakouma Ecosystem, which includes Zakouma and Siniaka-Minia national parks.
But the charity, of which Harry is a board member and former chairman, said in a statement on Tuesday that the Chadian government had ended its authority to manage wildlife reserves.
They were informed of the government’s “unilateral decision” in a letter from Environment Minister Hassan Bakhit Djamous.
The charity added in a statement that it had “begun discussions with the ministry to understand the government’s position and explore the best way forward to support the continued protection of these conservation-critical areas.”
According to the Associated Press, Djamous said African Parks has “consistently displayed a rude and disrespectful attitude towards the government.”
The AP added that poaching has resurged and there has been a lack of investment in reserves managed by the conservation group.
The decision ends a 15-year partnership between African Parks and the Chadian government to combat poaching and protect elephant populations in the two reserves.
Founded in 2000, the charity aims to protect Africa’s national parks and advance conservation on the continent and around the world, particularly in countries that struggle to care for their wildlife due to poverty and conflict.
It manages more than 20 million hectares of protected areas, with the goal of making each park “ecologically, socially and financially sustainable in the long term.”
Earlier this year, the charity acknowledged that its workers had committed human rights abuses against indigenous people in the rainforests of the Republic of Congo.
The announcement follows an independent human rights investigation into allegations that charity-managed and paid guards beat, raped and tortured local people in Odzala-Kokoua National Park.
The Chadian government’s decision is a fresh blow to Harry’s philanthropic efforts after he resigned earlier this year from Sentebale, an organization he founded to help children orphaned by AIDS in Botswana and Lesotho.
His resignation as boss of the charity came after a highly publicized boardroom row with chairman Sophie Chandauka.
Chandauka has previously made accusations of bullying and harassment against the Duke, but he has denied these accusations.
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