(PatriotWise.com) — Allegations of rape and torture at an African conservation charity touted by Harry, Duke of Sussex, resurfaced last week following the release of a new book by Dutch investigative reporter Olivier van Beemen, the UK Metro reported.
In his book “Entrepreneurs in the Wild,” van Beemen detailed alleged abuse by current and former staffers at African Parks, a charity funded by celebrities, billionaires, and aid from the UK. In his three-year investigation into African Parks, Van Beemen collected first-hand accounts about the alleged abuse by staff.
One former park ranger claimed that he and other rangers would string up suspected poachers between two branches and brutally beat them, a method of torture called “kampelwa”—to try and extract information from them.
According to van Beemen, staff at the parks were paid bonuses and other incentives to confront poachers. The Times of London reported that Prince Harry, who was placed on the charity’s board of directors last year, would likely face renewed pressure to step down in the wake of Van Beemen’s book.
Allegations of rape and torture have been leveled against the charity in the past.
In January, African Parks announced an investigation into allegations that its guards in the Republic of Congo were raping, beating, and torturing the indigenous Baka people.
At the time, Prince Harry was urged to step down from the board.
African Parks manages more than 20 protected areas and national parks in 12 African countries, amounting to an area of over 20 million hectares.
The charity was founded in 2000 to advance conservation and protect the continent’s national parks.
African Parks denied any knowledge of park rangers using “kampelwa” on poachers and claimed that the park ranger who admitted using the method was fired for gross misconduct.
At the same time, the charity acknowledged that it did use incentives to motivate its park rangers, saying it was standard practice.
Van Beemen also urged Prince Harry and other African Parks board members to “reconsider” their involvement with the charity.
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