The Bari of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

The Bari of Congo, Democratic Republic of the, numbering approximately 34,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Nilotic indigenous people of the wider Bari (Karo) ethnic group, descended from communities centered in South Sudan whose homeland and cultural territory extend into northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Bari is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: Bari

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of the
People Cluster: Nilotic
Primary Language(s): Bari (bfa)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 34,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG039284
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Bari of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

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: Roman Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

92%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Bari
Language Family: Nilotic

100%
%
Bari Speakers

Media Resources in Bari:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Bari:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
1979 Bible Society of South Sudan✓✓✓

1 entry

Or check out the Bari bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Bari 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 Bari:
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 Bari of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
readMatthew 5:44-45

Pray for those who don't know Jesus to encounter believers who are kind and compassionate and that their imitation of Christ will serve as a testimony that attracts lost people to Jesus.

"You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet."
readMatthew 5:13

Pray that the lost will have the opportunity to hear a Christian witness of how the gospel can bring hope and that they will put their faith in Christ.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
read1 Peter 2:9

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will embrace their identity as God's chosen people, royal priests, and holy nation, living out their faith with purity and devotion.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
readRevelation 7:9-10

Pray that the promise in Revelation 7:9-10 will encourage believers from among them or from nearby people groups to share the gospel with people who have never learned it.

Bari Across Countries (ROP3 - 101283) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

4 people groups

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

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