Prince Harry’s African conservation charity faces fresh torture allegations after a ranger admitted tying up suspects and beating them, using a horrific torture technique called “the swing.”
African Parks launched an investigation over allegations of rape and abuse by rangers, which became public for the first time in January.
Now, Dutch journalist Olivier van Beemen has presented further accusations based on interviews with both victims and perpetrators in a book, Entrepreneurs in the Wild.
Former Zambian African Parks ranger Foster Kalunga detailed the torture method he called kampelwa, or “swing”, in extracts quoted in U.K. newspaper The Times.
“Sometimes we use kampelwa,” said Kalunga, a ranger in Liuwa Plain national park for five years until 2022. “Then you tie someone up, hands and feet tied together, behind his back, and you hang him on a stick between two branches.
“And then you spin him around while you hit him. It doesn’t last long because it hurts a lot. When he hangs there he says everything you want, even things he doesn’t know.”
African Parks told Newsweek in a statement: “The book is replete with hundreds of factual inaccuracies and a similar number of intentionally misleading statements, which reflect the author’s own prejudices and his confirmation bias to paint a negative account of African Parks.
“In particular, his accounts of alleged human rights abuses are deeply flawed and based on statements taken from accused criminal offenders and dismissed employees, or relate to incidents that have no relation to African Parks.
“African Parks has a strict zero tolerance policy for any form of human rights abuse, and we deeply regret any violations that might occur.”
The organization said Kalunga was “discharged for gross misconduct after assaulting a senior DNPW (Department of National Parks and Wildlife) officer,” and in relation to “kampelwa” added: “There are no records or knowledge of it being used in Liuwa Plain by rangers under African Parks management.”
Prince Harry was president of the NGO for years before being promoted to its board of directors last year, giving him greater responsibility for policy.
Prince Harry has been asked by Newsweek for comment.
The book suggests that African Parks at one stage questioned whether Harry could pose a reputational risk to them, quoting a source suggesting there were fears “controversies surrounding the prince” might “pose a risk to the organisation.”
However, ultimately it appears to have been the other way around as the allegations against rangers have caused a reputational crisis for Harry.
Pressure group Survival International called for the duke to quit, while Van Beemen suggested he and other directors should “reconsider their own roles.”
Quoted in The Times, the Dutch author said: “My investigation shows that African Parks is an opaque organisation with numerous human rights allegations made against them, including torture and rape, but is not open to external criticism.
“I think Prince Harry and others on the board should question the organisation’s model, its practices and governance and reconsider their own roles.”
When news of the scandal first broke in January, Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Foundation said in a statement: “When the Duke became aware of these serious allegations, he immediately escalated them to the CEO and chairman of the board of African Parks, the appropriate people to handle next steps.”
