Move FM Global News

DAKAR, Senegal: Chad has revoked the mandate of African Parks, a non-profit conservation group associated with Prince Harry, to manage several of its key wildlife reserves, accusing the organization of failing to curb poaching and showing disrespect toward the government.

In a statement, Environment Minister Hassan Bakhit Djamous said the charity had displayed “a recurring indelicate and disrespectful attitude toward the government,” citing a resurgence in poaching and insufficient investment in the reserves under its management.

The move ends a 15-year partnership between Chad and African Parks, which had led anti-poaching operations and conservation efforts at the Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve and the Greater Zakouma Ecosystem, home to the Zakouma and Siniaka-Minia national parks.

African Parks, which manages 22 protected areas across Africa, said it was engaging in discussions with Chadian officials “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.”

The organization has been credited with helping revive wildlife populations in regions long devastated by conflict and poaching. According to African Parks, the elephant population at Zakouma National Park rose from around 450 in 2010, when it assumed control of the park, to over 550 by 2019.

Founded in 2000, African Parks is known for its results-driven approach. It takes over the day-to-day management of protected areas while governments retain ownership and oversight. The group’s model emphasizes anti-poaching enforcement, local employment, and financial transparency, often in nations where state-led conservation has been hampered by limited resources, corruption, or instability.

Prince Harry, who has championed wildlife protection in Africa for years, sits on the organization’s board of directors and previously served as its president.

The decision by N’Djamena comes as African Parks faces renewed scrutiny over its operations elsewhere on the continent. Earlier this year, the group admitted that guards at one of its parks in the Republic of Congo had committed human rights abuses against Indigenous communities displaced during the park’s construction.

Despite the fallout, African Parks noted that its management agreement for the Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve had been renewed as recently as April, underscoring the unexpected nature of the Chadian government’s announcement.