“Torture and rape” in an institution run by Prince Harry: “whitewashed” investigation

Harry continued to promote the institution despite it being investigated for “shocking” abuses against indigenous people in the Congo. An NGO now denounces an “intimidation” campaign to wash research.

The organization Survival International this Tuesday the existence of a campaign to intimidation intended to “whitewash” an investigation about abuses committed by a charity in the Republic of Congo, linked to Prince Harryfrom the United Kingdom.

The case dates back to the beginning of the year, when the British newspaper reported the existence of abuses — including torture and rape — against indigenous peoples in Odala-Kokoua National Park, the Republic of Congocommitted by African Parksa non-profit organization, of which Prince Harry is a member, after having been its president for six years.

“Intimidation” to hide beatings and rapes

The Mail investigation then revealed evidence of countless atrocities committed by a so-called “armed militia” from African Parks against the local population Cowaccusing the organization led by the Duke of Sussex of knowing “for years” that abuses were being committed, without this state of affairs being changed.

Survival International, a non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to the defense of indigenous peoples around the world, came to denounce a campaign of “intimidation and abuse”which “feed fears” that the investigation into the continued activities of the institution led by Prince Harry will be “whitewashed”, according to the statement issued this Tuesday.

The investigation in question, handed over to Omnia Strategy, a law firm, was launched in 2023, following complaints filed by the NGO with Prince Harry, as well as African Parks’ financiers, about alleged abuses committed in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park.

“Abuses, including beatings, torture and rapewere committed by rangers hired by African Parks against the indigenous Baka people, whose ancestral forest was occupied by the park. These abuses triggered a worldwide media outcry”, highlights Survival.

The NGO — which first reported these abuses “ten years ago” — reveals this Tuesday that he had received “reports of intimidation of the Baka people by African Parks guards, even before the field investigation began”.

“At least two people from the Baka ethnic group, who provided information about the abuse committed by the guards, described having been confronted by rangers, who questioned their motives for reporting the abuse and threatened them”, specifies the Survival statement.

“Investigators arrived to interview the abuse victims in an African Parks car and were accompanied by a Congolese government official. This fact could have a chilling effect on the Baka’s willingness to speak openly,” adds the NGO.

Survival also claims to have received “shocking reports of new beatings of a group of Baka women and children by African Parks rangers, which resulted in the loss of an unborn child of a Baka woman.”

“This happened while the investigation was ongoing, which suggests that guards still believe they can act with impunity“, highlights the NGO. African Parks has so far not committed to publishing the results of Omnia’s research, “nor to implementing its recommendations,” according to Survival.

Profit from biodiversity

The NGO also draws attention to “new details on how African Parks aims to make millions of dollars from managing Odzala-Kokoua and other protected areasthrough the sale of biodiversity credits, which he calls ‘Verifiable Natural Units (VNU),’ and carbon credits.”

“Our concerns have not been resolved, and as the entire basis on which African Parks came to control so much indigenous land may go unchallenged, this means that whatever the outcome of the investigation, it will not help the Baka regain their lands – which is absolutely vital for their subsistence, well-being and very existence as a people”, laments Caroline Pearce, director of Survival International, quoted in the statement.