PRINCE Harry could face renewed calls to leave his animal charity following further allegations of abuse by staff.
Armed rangers in African parks are accused of torturing suspected poachers and raping tribal people.
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Among the new allegations from dozens of alleged witnesses 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.
The method, known as ‘kampelwa’, forces people to talk, it is claimed.
In January, an investigation was launched into separate allegations of rape and torture by African Park rangers against the Baka people in the Republic of Congo.
The latest allegations emerge in a new book Entrepreneurs in nature 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.
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 – of which Prince Harry was chairman for six years before joining its board last year – is based in South Africa but works across the African 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.
African Parks said Koliwa was fired for poaching a buffalo and a wild boar while on patrol.
Author Van Beeman said Prince Harry and the council should “reconsider their own roles”.
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.”
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