Will You Pray for the Sudanese Arabs?
In this Global Marketplace Multipliers series, we focus on praying for the world’s largest unreached people groups. Today, we turn our attention to the Sudanese Arabs of Sudan, a significant yet spiritually neglected group.
The Sudanese Arabs, numbering around 16.4 million (or roughly the size of the Los Angeles metropolitan area) are the largest ethnic group in Sudan. This group, primarily Sunni Muslim, holds a deeply rooted cultural identity influenced by Islamic traditions and Arabic heritage. Only 0.10% of Sudanese Arabs profess Christianity.
Sudanese Arabs have significantly shaped Sudan’s national identity, politics, and social structure. Traditionally, they have been farmers, herders and traders, contributing to the region’s economy and cultural fabric. Arabic is the dominant language, serving as a unifying factor among various sub-groups within the Sudanese Arab population.
Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with Sudanese Arabs can be challenging due to their strong adherence to Islam, which dominates their religious and cultural identity. Mosques are central to community life, serving not only as places of worship but also as hubs for social gatherings and educational activities. Additionally, there are significant legal and societal restrictions against converting from Islam to Christianity in Sudan. Deep-seated historical and cultural tensions between Muslims and Christians also pose barriers to open dialogue about the Christian faith.
Lack of access to healthcare, education, and clean water are major challenges this people group faces. Relief work among some Sudanese Arabs may provide more immediate needed holistic help as we seek to not only increase their access to the gospel but also these other life-giving and life-saving access problems.
As we consider the spiritual state of the Sudanese Arabs, we invite you to join us in prayer. Pray for peace and stability in Sudan, for open hearts and minds among the Sudanese Arabs. Also pray that missionaries, Global Marketplace Multipliers, and other laborers for the harvest would be willing to live among the Sudanese Arabs, demonstrating Christ’s love through their actions and words.
*Unreached People Groups (UPG) are communities with limited exposure to the Gospel, typically residing in remote or culturally isolated areas. Global Marketplace Multipliers (GMM) directs its focus toward UPGs, with a particular emphasis on those surpassing a population of 10 million, known as “Frontier People Groups.” While all unreached people matter, these communities represent the most unreached populations globally, deserving strategic attention for prayer and mission, so GMM raises awareness about their critical needs.