A major nonprofit conservation group on whose board Prince Harry sits is admitting to human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo but has not released specifics despite authorizing an independent investigation.

African Parks says an international rights group, Survival International, in 2023 made it aware of allegations of human rights abuses by guards against the Baka community in Odzala-Kokoua National Park.

It brought in a human rights law firm to conduct an investigation into allegations of serious incidents, including cases of torture, rape, and unlawful killings.

The exact findings of specific abuses uncovered by the investigation remain confidential as part of an agreement with the charity, but African Parks does admit that abuses were confirmed.

“We deeply regret the pain and suffering caused to the victims. There is no place for any form of abuse in the name of conservation,” African Parks said in a statement.

The board of African Parks says it will take action against implicated staff members and create a framework to remedy any other human rights abuses in the future.

Odzala-Kokoua National park encompasses about 3.5 million acres and has more than 30,000 people living in and around it in a remote part of Congo. It is under pressure from armed groups and ivory smugglers, and guards are tasked with controlling the land.

African Parks was founded in 2000 and manages 23 national parks across the continent. Prince Harry has been with the charity since 2016.

In 2022 he co-hosted a group of American officials, conservationists, and philanthropists as they toured protected wildlife and nature preserves under African Parks’s management in Zambia, Mozambique, and Rwanda. Prince Harry has not publicly commented on the investigation.