Prince Harry dealt fresh charity blow
The government of Chad has terminated its agreement with African Parks, dealing a fresh charity blow to Prince Harry.
Prince Harry has been dealt a fresh blow as the government of Chad has terminated its agreement with African Parks.
The Duke of Sussex, 41, has long been associated with the conservation charity, but it emerged on Tuesday (07.10.25) the African country’s environment ministry has accused the organisation of showing “disrespectful” behaviour and failing to curb poaching in the reserves it managed.
The Chadian government announced the decision in a statement confirming the end of a 15-year partnership with the non-profit group, which had been overseeing the Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve and the Greater Zakouma Ecosystem.
Hassan Bakhit Djamous, the country’s environment minister, said African Parks had shown “a recurring indelicate and disrespectful attitude toward the government” and claimed there had been “a spike in poaching” as well as “a lack of investment” in the protected areas.
African Parks said it was “in discussions” with the Chadian government to “explore the best way forward to support the continued protection of these landscapes that are critical to conservation”.
The decision marks the end of a relationship that began in 2009.
The charity, which manages wildlife reserves across the continent, had reported it helped increase the elephant population at Zakouma National Park from 450 to 550 over nine years.
It had also aimed to reduce poaching and restore biodiversity in the region.
Prince Harry serves as a board member of African Parks and was previously its president.
Founded in 2000, the organisation works with several African governments to manage national parks and reserves, combining conservation efforts with community development.
Earlier this year, African Parks admitted guards at one of its sites had been involved in human rights abuses against Indigenous people who were displaced when the park was established.
The development comes only months after Harry stepped down from his position at Sentebale, the youth charity he co-founded in 2006 with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho.
Harry created the organisation in memory of his mother, Princess Diana, to support children and young people living with HIV and Aids in Lesotho and Botswana.
His resignation came after the UK Charity Commission issued a critical report following a public dispute within the organisation’s leadership.
The row involved the Duke, Prince Seeiso, and Sentebale’s then-chair of trustees, Dr Sophie Chandauka, a Zimbabwe-born lawyer.
A source close to Harry told The Times he was “devastated the chair had been allowed to succeed with a hostile takeover”.
A spokesperson for the Duke said: “As custodians of this once brilliant charity, Prince Seeiso, Prince Harry and the former board of trustees helped grow Sentebale from the seed of an idea to – like its namesake – a flowering force for good. With the original mission of Sentebale firmly in mind – and in honour of the legacy he and Prince Seeiso began – the Duke of Sussex will now focus on finding new ways to continue supporting the children of Lesotho and Botswana.”
