Chad cuts ties with wildlife charity linked to Prince Harry

The Chadian government has terminated its agreement with a controversial conservation organisation that has the Duke of Sussex on its board of directors.

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 to support the continued protection of these landscapes that are critical to conservation".

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.

They were among 22 national parks and protected areas across 12 countries managed by the group.

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.

The non-profit organisation was informed of the government's "unilateral decision" on Monday in an official letter from Environment Minister Hassan Bakhit Djamous.

Chad's environment ministry blamed the resurgence of poaching in its natural parks on a lack of investment by the charity.

The charity, founded in 2000, aims to protect Africa's national parks and advance conservation in the continent and around the world, particularly in countries that struggle to look after their wildlife because of poverty and conflict.

It manages more than 20 million hectares of protected area with the goal of making each park "ecologically, socially and financially sustainable for the long term".

Prince Harry sits on the board of African Parks and has been involved with the charity since 2016. In 2023, after serving six years as president, he was made a member of the board of directors, the governing body of the organisation.

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 (£375,000) per year.

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.