PRINCE Harry is being urged to abandon his wildlife charity after it was once again hit by terror allegations.
African Parks was accused on Friday of torturing suspected poachers and raping tribal people.
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The vile allegations came just weeks after the Duke of Sussex was warned he must leave the organization over similar allegations.
Harry, 39, sits on the board of African Parks – and was chairman for six terms until last year.
But royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams says the prince needs to consider his future with the charity – which works to rehabilitate and manage national parks.
He said there is “absolutely no doubt” that Harry needs to speak out – or step aside.
The organization was hit last May by sickening allegations of Baka women being raped and men having their heads dunked in a river in the Republic of Congo.
Following this, Harry’s Archewell Foundation said it has forwarded the allegations to its CEO and board chair.
Now, dozens of alleged witnesses have come forward with new allegations.
The latest allegations emerge in a new book Entrepreneurs in the Wild by Dutch journalist Olivier van Beemen, who spent three years investigating the charity.
It collected first-hand testimonies from victims, perpetrators of abuse, as well as former and current rangers in African Parks.
Royal commentator Fitzwilliams said now is the time for Harry to speak out – or back down.
He told The Sun: “There are more allegations, allegations of torture and so on, which will, once again, increase the pressure on Prince Harry to step aside from the council, at least while these investigations continue.
“There is also no doubt that if he does not back down, he should stay aside.
“Surely there should be an answer, especially since Harry is so interested in conservation and this issue in particular.”
Richard added: “There must be some action on Harry’s part.
“There is absolutely no doubt that there should now be a response from him.”
Among the new allegations is the use of the “swing” method.
Supposedly, it involves tying a victim up, suspending them in the air, and spinning them around while they are beaten with sticks.
What are African parks?
Its website says: “African Parks is a non-profit conservation organization that takes full responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks in partnership with local governments and communities.
“We currently manage 22 national parks and protected areas in 12 countries, covering more than 20 million hectares in: Angola, Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sudan South, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
“The organization was founded in 2000 in response to the dramatic decline of protected areas due to mismanagement and lack of funding.
“African Parks uses a clear business approach to conserving Africa’s wildlife and other wild areas, protecting vast landscapes and carrying out the activities necessary to protect the parks and their wildlife.
“African Parks maintains a strong focus on economic development and poverty alleviation of surrounding communities to ensure each park is ecologically, socially and financially sustainable in the long term.
“Our goal is to manage 30 parks by 2030. The geographic distribution of the protected areas and the representation of different ecoregions make this the largest and most ecologically diverse portfolio of parks under management of any NGO on the continent.”
The method, known as ‘kampelwa’, forces people to talk, it is claimed.
Foster Kalunga, a charity ranger in Zambia for five years until 2022, said of the “swing” method in Liuwa Plain national park: “It doesn’t last long because it hurts a lot.
“When he stands there, he tells you everything you want, even things he doesn’t know.”
African Parks is based in South Africa but works across the continent.
The charity, funded by British aid, celebrities and American billionaires, works to rehabilitate and manage national parks in partnership with local governments and communities.
Etienne Koliwa, a former official at Garamba park in DRC, said an aggressive military approach to protecting wildlife is installed by instructors.
They are usually from Israel, France or South Africa and a poacher is “the enemy” who must be “neutralized”, Koliwa said.
There is also no doubt that if he does not retreat, he should stand aside.
Richard Fitzwilliams
African Parks said Koliwa was fired for poaching a buffalo and a wild boar while on patrol.
Responding to the allegations, African Parks said the author was biased and said his book was “deeply flawed”.
The charity added: “African Parks has been operating for over 20 years, with long-term agreements with 12 different sovereign governments and numerous traditional authorities.
“We receive funding from most global institutions… all of which require detailed verification processes as well as intermittent grant audits.”
In January, there were calls for Harry to step away from the organization.
It happened after a Baka man said: “African parks are slowly killing us.
“We are suffering so much we might as well be dead.”
Another said: “The past was much better for us – and the reason is all down to African Parks.”
At the time, African Parks said investigating the allegations was its “highest priority”.
Caroline Pearce, from the charity Survival International, said: “We are calling on him to resign.”
Harry, through the Archewell Foundation, said: “When the Duke became aware of these serious allegations, he immediately forwarded them to the CEO and chairman of African Parks, the appropriate people to deal with the next steps.”
Prince Harry has nothing left in the UK, says expert
By Morgan Johnson and Matt Wilkinson
PRINCE Harry no longer has any ties to the UK as his relationship with William becomes irreparable, says a royal expert.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, has severed all remaining ties with Britain – and apparently with his family – by declaring “New Country/State Generally Resident” on US documents.
Simon Vigar told The Sun’s Royal Exclusive program there is no going back when it comes to Harry’s relationship with older brother Wills – after years of distorted digs and comments made at the royals by the Duke.
Speaking to The Sun’s royal editor Matt Wilkinson, Vigar also claims that Harry’s lack of participation in royal duties is due to distancing.
He said: “Prince Harry doesn’t have a pigeonhole or a desk at St James’s Palace for correspondence, but I think that reflects the detachment.
“The big break with William, there doesn’t seem to be any repair to that relationship, unfortunately.
“And with the king, obviously, he saw him briefly, very briefly in February, and not since.
“But you know I hope they get in touch by phone.”
Simon went on to say that the rift between Harry and his now estranged family was “completely avoidable”, however, “a lot” has now happened to rebuild bridges.
He added: “It’s a shame. I think this is all very sad and completely avoidable.
“But a lot has been said and done now. It happens in a lot of families, but not on this kind of public scale.
“I think with William and Harry in particular, too much has been said for it to ever go back to the way it was, unfortunately.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
