In 2011, park rangers working in the region were implicated in a series of incidents resulting in the tragic death of 10-year-old Christine Mayi.^[1]

In 2017, a Congolese group voiced worries that conservation efforts had played a role in the passing of numerous Bayaka children during a 2016 epidemic. A medical specialist linked the deaths to malaria, pneumonia, and dysentery, worsened by profound malnutrition.^[2]

The U.N. Development Programme’s investigation (06/04/2020) into the proposed Messok Dja National Park highlights the poor treatment of the Baka people. It covers the mistreatment of Baka and criticizes the disregard for human rights by Western countries, global organizations, and wildlife protection groups in central Africa. The team discovered Baka communities in a state of profound distress, with reports of numerous incidents including beatings, arson targeting homes, and guards coercing women into undressing. The report provides credible accounts of violence and intimidation by guards against the semi-nomadic Baka population in the Messok Dja region. According to the report, certain Baka individuals recounted being arrested, subjected to torture, and sexually assaulted. A woman disclosed that her husband suffered severe mistreatment in custody, resulting in his death shortly after being released. Notably, he was transported to the prison in a vehicle marked with the WWF emblem. Furthermore, the report highlights instances where other Baka were informed that they were prohibited from accessing sections of the forest where they historically hunted due to the establishment of a "park." The guards failed to differentiate between the Baka's traditional, subsistence-based hunting practices and unlawful wildlife poaching.^[3]

This link contains YouTube testimonials by different Ba’aka individuals alleging gross human rights violations by the eco-guards.