African Parks Network employs over 1,400 rangers tasked with patrolling 22 parks under its management. The rangers have foot patrols, aerial surveillance units, and specialized units that respond to specific threats.^[1]As is the issue with many of the national parks engaged with fortress conservation, park rangers, and wildlife guards at Odzala-Kokoua have an extensive history of human rights violations, dating back ten years, against Indigenous communities accessing the ancestral lands they have been systematically displaced from. In 2013, African Parks initiated the first firearm amnesty program within the Republic of the Congo offering poachers positions as park rangers in exchange for weapons and intelligence.

In August 2013, a Kola man from Olleme reported being assaulted by wildlife guards in the forest near the Lekoli River.^[2]

In July 2019, three men went camping in Ignoli village within Odzala Kokoua. During their return from gathering hut materials in the forest, eco-guards accused them of poaching alongside the son of the village chief, despite not having weapons or hunting gear. Handcuffed and subjected to severe beatings, they were pressured to confess and name accomplices, which they vehemently denied. Later, they were taken to the Lango base, allegedly confined in a container, enduring two days of torture without food or water. Authorities, including the police and judiciary, report extensive wounds and bruises on their bodies.^[3]

In January 2024, Prince Harry's affiliated conservation charity was accused of financing an armed militia responsible for brutalizing Indigenous communities in Africa. An investigation revealed disturbing accounts of violence perpetrated by guards under the auspices of African Parks, an organization Prince Harry previously presided over for six years before joining its board of directors. Despite its purported mission of wildlife preservation and community collaboration, African Parks, backed by a billionaire linked to Chelsea Football Club, has been accused of overseeing atrocities against the Ba’aka people. Witnesses alleged harrowing incidents of beatings, rapes, and torture inflicted on the Ba’aka. Survivors report horrific experiences, including being drowned, whipped, and raped by armed guards. One man died in custody without receiving medical attention for his injuries, while others, including a mother with her newborn, suffered horrific abuses. Furthermore, allegations suggest medical staff faced coercion to conceal evidence of abuse. Compounding the injustice, survivors lament the lack of compensation and accountability, with one victim still awaiting the majority of the court-ordered restitution.^[4]