Prince Harry has been advised to sever ties with a charity he is associated with after human rights abuses in the Republic of the Congo were uncovered.
The Duke of Sussex served as president of African Parks from 2017 until 2023 and later became a board member.
Earlier this month, the charity responded to long-held allegations that park rangers in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park had committed abuses against indigenous Baka people in the area.
Following the troubling revelations, the communications director of indigenous people's rights group Survival International, Jonathan Mazower, called on the Harry to walk away from the organisation.
Prince Harry has been urged to break ties with a charity accused of human rights abuses.
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"We think that Prince Harry and anyone else involved in African Parks should either commit the organisation to a completely new way of doing business or step down," Mazower told Newsweek.
Allegations published last year suggested that guards working for the non-profit subjected the indigenous people to abuses including rape and torture.
The review was conducted by London-based law firm Omnia Strategy LLP, headed by Cherie Blair.
Earlier this month, the charity accepted that "in some incidents, human rights abuses have occurred" in the park it manages.
The Duke of Sussex has served as a president and board member of African Parks.
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In their statement, they added: "We deeply regret the pain and suffering that these have caused to the victims."
African Park’s also admitted to systemic failures: "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.
"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.
"We are committed to addressing the shortcomings that have been identified. Further, where sufficient evidence is available, we will take action against staff members implicated in incidents not yet known about, or that had not been adequately dealt with.
African Parks acknowledged 'some incidents, human rights abuses' had occured.
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"The Board is confident that the institutional improvements implemented over the past five years, along with those planned for the coming months—incorporating valuable recommendations from Omnia—will mitigate risks in the future," they added.
African Parks stopped short of specifying which abuses they were referring to, leaving some ambiguity over acknowledgement that the Baka had suffered rape and torture at the hands of their guards.
In their own statement, Omnia said it has been carrying out an independent investigation into the alleged abuse since December 2023.
The law firm described its investigation as "thorough and proportionate without attempting to be exhaustive".
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Park rangers working for the non-profit were accused of rape and torture against the indigenous Baka people.
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Prince Harry is understood to have been closely involved in understanding the findings of the review and implementing necessary changes.
Survival International's director Caroline Pearce said: "We still don't know the details of what they found, because African Parks has refused to allow the findings to be made public."
"The root of the problem is that African Parks continues to cling to a racist and colonial model of conservation, which kicks out the indigenous people whose land it is, while outsiders take control,” she criticised.
African Parks has said it has improved safeguarding processes over the past five years, both in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park and across the organisation.
Relating specifically to the current report, these improvements include appointing an anthropologist to ensure the Baka communities receive better support.
