The victims, from the Baka people, say they were assaulted when they tried to enter the rainforest in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park where they have fished, hunted and searched for medicinal plants for millennia.
African Parks operates in several African countries with the aim of conserving wildlife in collaboration with the local population. Among the financiers are the EU, the USA and wealthy philanthropists.
Raped by a park ranger
A woman tells the newspaper that she was raped by a park ranger while holding her newborn child in her arms. A man is said to have died after being badly beaten and not receiving treatment. Another says his head was pushed under water while his hands were tied behind his back and he was beaten with a belt.
— Some guards are bad people and their actions should be stopped. What they do is cruel and inhumane, he tells the newspaper.
According to the newspaper, the prince was warned Harry in May last year about the abuses by the organization Survival International which works for the rights of indigenous peoples.
A spokesperson for Prince Harry’s organization Archewell told the newspaper that the prince immediately passed the information on to the CEO and chairman of African Parks.
The park writes in a statement that the allegations are known and that an investigation has been ongoing since last year.