Prince Harry's global conservation work has suffered another major blow after the government of Chad abruptly ended its 15-year partnership with African Parks, the wildlife charity where the Duke of Sussex serves as a board member and former president. The decision, announced Tuesday by Chad's environment minister Hassan Bakhit Djamous, accused the organization of showing "a recurring indelicate and disrespectful attitude toward the government" and failing to prevent rising poaching in its protected reserves.
The move terminates African Parks' management mandate over key conservation areas, including the Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve and the Greater Zakouma Ecosystem, which covers both Zakouma and Siniaka-Minia national parks. The ministry also cited insufficient financial commitment to anti-poaching and conservation efforts as justification for ending the collaboration.
The decision marks a sharp reversal for African Parks, which had successfully renewed its management agreement for the Ennedi Reserve as recently as April. The organization, founded in 2000, is known for taking direct control of Africa's struggling wildlife areas and operating under government supervision.
In a statement, the charity said it was seeking to "better understand the government's position" and to explore "the best way forward to support the continued protection of these landscapes that are critical to conservation." African Parks added that elephant populations at Zakouma National Park had grown from 450 when it took over management in 2010 to more than 550 by 2019, highlighting its track record of ecological recovery.
Prince Harry, who led African Parks as president from 2017 to 2023, has remained deeply involved with the organization. His tenure has been marked by a mix of international acclaim and controversy, as the charity's expansion into Central Africa drew scrutiny from human rights groups. In May, African Parks admitted that its guards had committed human rights violations against Indigenous Baka people in Congo's Odzala-Kokoua National Park, prompting public apologies and an internal review.
"We deeply regret the pain and suffering that these have caused to the victims," African Parks said in a statement following the revelations. "We are committed to addressing the shortcomings that have been identified... and will take action against staff members implicated in incidents not yet known about, or that had not been adequately dealt with."
Jonathan Mazower, communications director of Survival International, an Indigenous rights group, called on the Duke to take stronger action. "We think that Prince Harry and anyone else involved in African Parks should either commit the organisation to a completely new way of doing business or step down," Mazower told Newsweek.
The setback comes just months after Harry stepped down from Sentebale, his youth charity in Lesotho, following a public dispute with its board. A U.K. watchdog criticized the organization's handling of internal conflicts, saying the row had damaged its reputation. A spokesperson for the Duke said he remains committed to "finding new ways to continue supporting the children of Lesotho and Botswana."
