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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Digil-Rahanweyn of Somalia

The Digil-Rahanweyn of Somalia, numbering approximately 1,055,000 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are one of the five major Somali clan‑families and a key agricultural society of southern Somalia. They are distinct within Somali society for their riverine homeland, Maay (Af‑Maay) language, and agro‑pastoral economy. and can also be known as Rahanweyn, Digil-Mirifle, Reewin. They are an Indigenous people, in the Somali people cluster of the Horn of Africa Peoples affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam. They primarily speak Maay.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash: Digil-Rahanweyn

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Northern African and Middle Eastern Peoples
Country: Somalia
People Cluster: Somali
Primary Language(s): Maay (ymm)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 1,055,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Unengaged and Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Active CP Activity
People Group ID: PG011952
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Pray for the Digil-Rahanweyn of Somalia

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Sunni Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

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Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Maay
Language Family: Afro-Asiatic

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Media Resources in Maay:

Films:

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Bible Resources in Maay:

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Or check out the Maay bible resources at Bible.com

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Next steps for the Digil-Rahanweyn

The Digil-Rahanweyn are Unengaged and Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations among which there are no known efforts focused on establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Begin signifcant prayer and fasting for this group
Send cross-cultural teams to discover and research this people group
Begin gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Next steps for the Digil-Rahanweyn

The Digil-Rahanweyn 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.

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

Next steps for the Digil-Rahanweyn

The Digil-Rahanweyn are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Digil-Rahanweyn of Somalia

For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
read1 Chronicles 16:26

Pray that those among them who are lost and seeking after worthless idols will have the opportunity to hear and respond to the good news, seeing that Jesus is better than any idol.

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
read1 Timothy 2:1-2

Pray that leaders and those in authority will not thwart the spread of the gospel but put their faith in Christ, have hearts that are soft toward their people, and be freed from the temptations that power can bring.

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
read1 Corinthians 3:7

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be unified in making disciples and be used by God to further His kingdom near and far.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
readMatthew 28:19-20

Ask God to bring people among this group to faith in Jesus who will be obedient to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey all that Christ has commanded.

Rahanweyn (ROP3 - 105958) reported in the following countries:

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

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Definitions page.

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