Chad terminates ties with Prince Harry's charity

The Chad Government has terminated its agreement with a controversial conservation organisation that has the Duke of Sussex on its board of directors, reports BBC News. It accused the charity African Parks of failing to curb poaching, ending a 15-year mandate to manage two of its protected sites in the central African country. The Environment Ministry said African Parks had displayed an arrogant and disrespectful attitude towards the government, failing to co-operate fully with authorities. The charity said it had ’begun talks with the Ministry to understand the government's position and explore the best way forward. African Parks, of which Prince Harry is a board member and former president, helped look after two wildlife reserves in Chad: the Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve and the Greater Zakouma Ecosystem, which includes the Zakouma and Siniaka-Minia national parks.

It is the latest scandal to plague the organisation. Earlier this year, it admitted that employees in a park it managed in the Republic of Congo had abused members of the local community. It also refused to publish an independent report into the abuses, according to BBC News. Prince Harry sits on the board of African Parks and has been involved with the charity since 2016. On its website, African Parks lists a number of high-profile donors including the European Union, Rob Walton, heir to the Walmart fortune, and Howard Buffett, son of Warren Buffet. In its 2023 annual report, the charity said its funders provided it with more than $500 000. The Chadian Government's decision is a new blow to Harry's charitable endeavours after he stepped down earlier this year from Sentebale, an organisation he founded to help children orphaned by Aids in Botswana and Lesotho. His resignation as patron of the charity followed a highly publicised boardroom battle with chairwoman Dr Sophie Chandauka.