The Chad government has ended the mandates that allowed the African wildlife charity African Parks to manage two reserves in the country. The Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve and the Greater Zakouma Ecosystem, which includes Zakouma and Siniaka-Minia national parks, were among the reserves under its care. African Parks previously ran 22 national parks and protected areas across 12 countries. The decision ends a 15-year partnership aimed at countering poaching and protecting elephants, and was communicated to the charity in a letter from environment minister Hassan Bakhit Djamous.

The charity said the Duke of Sussex sits on its board and previously served as president. It has begun talks with the environment ministry to understand the government’s position and to discuss the best way to continue protecting these landscapes that are important for conservation. The environment minister said there had been a resurgence in poaching and a lack of investment at the reserves.

African Parks was founded in 2000 and now oversees more than 20 million hectares of protected land, with a mission to keep each park ecologically, socially and financially sustainable in the long term. Earlier this year the charity acknowledged that employees had perpetrated human rights abuses against indigenous people in Odzala-Kokoua National Park in the Republic of the Congo, following an independent investigation that found guards employed by the charity had beaten, raped and tortured local residents. Separately, Harry stepped down as patron of Sentebale earlier this year after a boardroom dispute with chair Dr Sophie Chandauka, who had accused him of bullying; he denied the allegations.