Operation World: Africa – Great Commission Needs

Much of Africa is within the 10/40 Window area. Of the world's 10 major geographical Affinity Blocs of peoples, 2½ are in Africa: the Sub-Saharan peoples, the Horn of Africa peoples and the western half of the Arab world. For more information about the Arabs, see the section on Asia — West. Then, within these 2½ blocs are clusters of peoples with more closely related cultures and situations. Here are listed most of the major ones with a few details. Most of these clusters are found in more than one country, so their global statistics are given. Most are in a belt of territory stretching across the Sahel and then down Africa's east coast. Note the map showing these clusters.

1 The Imazighen, or Berber of North Africa. They were the original inhabitants, but were conquered by Rome; many becoming Christians. Then in the 8th Century they were conquered by the Arabs, their culture and history suppressed and most were absorbed into the conquering race. There are 20 million Imazighen in 76 distinct ethnic groups living in 17 countries. Major groups (with many sub-groups) being the Kabyle (3.5m), Shilha (10.7m), Shawiya (1.8m). Only among the Kabyle has there been a significant turning to Christ. Less than 0.3% might be considered Christian.

2 The Tuareg (Tamasheq) are related to the Berber, but have a unique culture and live in the central Sahara Desert. They number 3 million in 8 countries and comprise 16 ethnic groups. Only in Niger and Mali are there a few groups of believers.



3 The West Atlantic cluster with 6.4 million speaking 77 languages and dialects. Most live in Senegal, the Gambia and Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone. Some, such as the Balanta, Mandyak, Serer and Papel have responded to the gospel, but among the more Muslim Wolof (3.7m), Jola (600,000), Beafada (43,000) and Nalu (23,000) response has been very small and these are still pioneer peoples.



4 The Mande peoples live mainly in Africa west of Nigeria, and are in a majority in Mali and Guinea. Most are Muslim. There are 17 million in the main body of Mande peoples and a further 5.5 million in scattered smaller peoples across West Africa. Jula, a Mande language, has become a major trade language for much of the western half of West Africa. In the main body of Mande only the Malian Bambara (4.3m), Kassonke (280,000), and the Sierra Leonian Kono (232,000) have a number of Christians. The most needy are the Mandingo-related (5.5m), Jula-related (1m), Soso-Yalunka (1.3m) and Wassulunke (740,000).



5 The Soninke-Bozo peoples — mainly of Senegal and Mali are 1.6 million with only a handful of believers.



6 The Songhai-Zarma peoples — 4.7 million living mainly in Mali and Niger and speaking 18 languages and dialects. Muslim; very few Christians.

7 The Fulbe (Pulaar, Fulani) number 20 million in 40 or so distinct ethnic groups speaking related dialects. They have spread from Senegal to become a major component of nearly every country of the Sahel as far east as Sudan. They are the largest nomadic-culture people in the world. More than half now live settled lifestyles and are more strongly Muslim than the nomadic or semi-nomadic Fulbe. Planting churches among them has been hard and slow with small breakthroughs in Benin, Nigeria and Chad. The Fulbe represent one of the major challenges for missions in Africa today.



8 The Volta-Gur peoples number nearly 15 million in 165 ethnic groups. Most live in the Sahel; Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Benin and Togo. Among the many peoples related to the Mossi (10.3m), Grusi (3.5m), Gurma (2m) and Dogon (900,000), a significant minority are active Christians. The Senufo (3m) and Lobi (500,000) are more resistant and response is slow. Many peoples are largely unreached in Burkina Faso but few of the larger peoples remain without a witness.

9 The Hausa are dominant in Niger and northern Nigeria, but live in 27 countries and number 30 million. Hausa has become the major language for much of Nigeria, Niger and beyond. Many resources exist in Hausa — the Bible, the JESUS film, radio broadcasting, and much ministry is done in Hausa, but few have turned to Christ from Islam. Response has been greatest among the Maguzawa section of the Hausa. This large people remains a major challenge to the Church.



10 Kanuri-Kanembu — 5.1 million in northwest Nigeria and the Chad basin. They are the least reached cluster of peoples in the Sahel. They, and the related Teda and Daza of north Chad, have no known churches. After years of effort to reach them the fruit is meagre.



11 The Chadian peoples. Five intermingled clusters of Sudanic, Saharan and Chadic peoples live in the large area of central Nigeria, north Cameroon, Chad and the Darfur Province of Sudan. They speak over 400 languages and dialects and nearly half of these are without churches, the Scriptures, or much of any other form of witness. Much pioneer work in arduous conditions and among small language groups must still be undertaken. This medley of smaller peoples constitutes one of the most complex challenges for pioneer ministry in Africa today. Special mention must be made of the many peoples linked with the Maba (953,000), Fur (800,000), Tama-Mararit (353,000), Daju (322,000), Masalit (300,000) and Naba (266,000). To these must be added the Shuwa Arab nomads who may number up to 2 million.



12 Cushitic-Horn of Africa peoples. There are 55 million in over 140 ethnic groups living mainly in Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. Many of the peoples in Ethiopia are Christian. The challenge remains to reach the Somali (14m), Beja (2.5m) and Saho-Afar (1.5m). To these must be added the 1.8 million Nubians of the Nile Valley in Egypt and Sudan — long a Christian people until forcibly Islamized in the 17th Century but now with only a few hundred known believers.



13 The East Coast peoples of Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Malawi. Almost all are Muslim and most are able to communicate in Swahili. Major groupings: Swahili (3.8m — including the Comorians and Zanzibarians), Makonde (2.2m), Yao (1.7m) and Zaramo (630,000).

14 The Pygmy peoples of the central African forests. They were the original peoples of the region but invading Bantu peoples pushed them into the more inaccessible areas. They number 765,000 in 33 ethnic groups in 8 countries. They have long been ignored, or evangelized using Bantu languages. Only in recent years have more culturally sensitive church planting efforts been made. Results have been good during the 1990s; around 17% are now Christians.