Prince Harry’s African Rangers accused of rape

A leading environmental charity that Prince Harry helps run has been accused of leading an armed militia beating, raping and torturing indigenous people in Africa, the Daily Mail reports.

An investigation by The Mail on Sunday has uncovered horrific evidence of intimidation in the Republic of Congo’s rainforest by security guards managed and paid by the charity African Parks. Prince Harry was its president for six years until he was promoted to head of the board last year.

The fast-growing charity, backed by a billionaire who is part of the consortium that owns Chelsea football club, manages vast swathes of forests and national parks in 12 African countries in partnership with governments and boasts of saving wildlife by working with local communities.

However, Mail on Sunday journalists have found first-hand accounts of atrocities committed against the Baka, an indigenous people once known as the Pygmies, to prevent them from entering the forests where they foraged, fished, hunted and found medicine for millennia .

One man, who claims his head was forced underwater while his hands were handcuffed and his back was repeatedly hit with a belt, said: “Some of the guards are bad people and should be stopped. what they do is cruel and inhumane.”

A Baka man died after he was beaten and jailed without receiving treatment for his injuries, a community activist told the Mail on Sunday. One woman described being raped by an armed guard while she held her newborn baby. And a teenage boy claimed that another guard groomed him for paid sex. There are allegations that medical staff were intimidated to cover up abuse.

A raped mother also says she has not received most of the £1,300 compensation her rapist was ordered to pay by a court after he was briefly jailed.

The disturbing revelations – coupled with the destruction of traditional culture and the impoverishment of indigenous peoples – come as Prince Harry advances his global mission as a champion of social justice and equality, the Daily Mail notes.

Last weekend, his leading role in the film “African Parks” was celebrated when he was presented with the Living Legends of Aviation Award for “a humanitarian, military veteran and mental health advocate” at a ceremony in Los Angeles. The citation praised him as an ‘environmentalist’, saying he has “dedicated his life to promoting causes he is passionate about and that lead to lasting change for people and places… including African parks.”

But one Baka man, who says he witnessed brutal attacks by African park guards, told the Mail on Sunday he would like Harry to use his power to intervene to “stop the pain and suffering being caused to our community.”

Prince Harry, who has said Africa is a place “where I feel more like myself than anywhere else in the world”, announced his appointment as the charity’s president seven years ago while guest editor of the Today program on BBC Radio 4. His involvement began with a trip to Malawi to help with the Elephant Project in 2016, and his role changed last autumn when he joined the charity’s board of directors.

‘What I see in the African parks model is exactly what conservation should be: putting people at the center of the solution,” he said. “Conservation can only be sustainable when the people who live closest to nature , are invested in its preservation’.

When the Mail on Sunday presented the findings of its investigation into Harry, a spokesman for his foundation, Archwell, said: ‘When the Duke became aware of these serious allegations, he immediately reported them to the CEO and chairman of African Parks, the appropriate people to take next action.’

Harry was warned of the “horrific human rights abuses” being committed by his rangers in a letter from Indigenous rights campaign group Survival International in May last year.

The letter said: “The scale and extent of violent intimidation and torture clearly demonstrates that this is not abnormal behavior by a few individuals.” The message called on the prince to “use your influence and position to stop these abuses perpetrated by the organization to which you have commandeered your name” and was supported by a live video message to Harry and Meghan from a member of the Baka tribe.

Peter Fearnhead, chief executive of African Parks, who was a guest at Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018, responded to Survival International, insisting the charity has “no tolerance for this type of behaviour” and has taken ‘swift action’ against confirmed abuses by its staff .

Baka communities live in Odzala-Kokua National Park (Congo), an area of ​​rainforest that is larger than Yorkshire and home to gorillas and forest elephants. One Baka man said: “The forest was left to us by our parents and ancestors. Everything we have we find in the forest – our food, our medicine. We suffer so much without it. They are destroying our heritage and our people.”

The park has been managed by African Parks since 2010, when the company signed a 25-year agreement with the Congolese government. The charity is funded by the European Union, the United States and wealthy philanthropists. She has received UK aid and the People’s Postcode Lottery, based in Edinburgh, has given her £8.2 million since 2015.

The revelations highlight tensions in Africa and Asia between indigenous groups who have cared for forests since the dawn of time and armed militias led by conservation groups fighting to save the natural world from miners, poachers and loggers.

Survival International first raised concerns 11 years ago with African park officials. The organization’s campaign director, Fiore Longo, said: “Conservation areas are war zones for indigenous peoples. These organizations claim to be saving nature, but in reality they are overseeing the abuse and destruction of the very people who have cared for these forests for millennia. If Prince “Harry and other celebrities really want to save the planet, fight racism, fight for social justice and support human diversity, they should support indigenous peoples.”

In a statement in response to the Mail of Sunday’s investigation, African Parks said: “We have a zero-tolerance policy for any form of abuse and are committed to protecting the rights of local people and indigenous peoples. We work closely with the Congolese government, local staff and communities indigenous peoples in these efforts. We take allegations of human rights violations very seriously and always thoroughly investigate such allegations.”

The charity said it had sought to engage with Survival International, “repeatedly seeking their input into their claims, which they have refused to provide.”

It added that it had taken “active steps” to review the allegations and had appointed an outside law firm to “assess their credibility,” adding: “Any new allegations, including those cited in this article, will form part of this ongoing review.”