The Kari of Central African Republic

The Kari of Central African Republic, numbering approximately 179,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a southern Mbum people of the mountains around Bocaranga in the Central African Republic's Ouham-Pende prefecture, whose ancestors fled Fulani raids on the Adamawa Plateau in the early 1800s to settle this borderland with Cameroon. They mostly adhere to Ethnoreligion and Kare (Central African Republic) is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Kari

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Central African Republic
People Cluster: Adamawa-Ubangi
Primary Language(s): Kare (Central African Republic) (kbn)
Primary Religion(s): Ethnoreligion
Population: 179,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG012879
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Pray for the Kari of Central African Republic

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Ethnoreligion
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

—
%
Ethnoreligion Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Kare (Central African Republic)
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Kare (Central African Republic) Speakers

Media Resources in Kare (Central African Republic):

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Kare (Central African Republic):

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Kare (Central African Republic) bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Kari are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Next steps for the Kari:
Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Pray specifically for the Kari of Central African Republic

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
readEphesians 2:8-9

Pray that the lost among them will receive the gift of salvation by grace through faith, not by works, and be created for good works.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
readRomans 3:23

Pray that the gospel will advance and many will acknowledge that all have sinned, fall short of God's glory, and need a Savior to reconcile them to God.

Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
readPsalm 100:3-4

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be in awe of the Lord God, their Creator, and will give Him thanksgiving and praise.

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.
readJohn 1:9-10

Pray for those God might send to share the gospel here. Ask that they will grow closer to Jesus and be compelled to share His good news with people who don't know it.

Kari Across Countries (ROP3 - 104664) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

2 people groups

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

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