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Amharic - አማርኛ | Arabic - عربي
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The Timbuktu Tamasheq of Mali

The Timbuktu Tamasheq of Mali, numbering approximately 639,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic subgroup of the Tuareg Berber, indigenous to the Kidal Region of northeastern Mali. They mostly adhere to Folk Islam and Tamasheq is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2025). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Timbuktu Tuareg

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Arab Peoples
Country: Mali
People Cluster: Tuareg
Primary Language(s): Tamasheq (taq)
Primary Religion(s): Folk Islam
Population: 639,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG013572
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Pray for the Timbuktu Tamasheq of Mali

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.

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Folk Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

99%
%
Folk Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Tamasheq
Language Family: Afro-Asiatic

100%
%
Tamasheq Speakers

Media Resources in Tamasheq:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Tamasheq:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
2003 Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc.✓✓✓

1 entry

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Tamasheq bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Timbuktu Tamasheq 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 Timbuktu Tamasheq:
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 Timbuktu Tamasheq of Mali

While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
readLuke 9:42

Pray that those who are living outside of the hope of the gospel will know and trust that Jesus offers freedom from the oppression of sin and hope in eternal life.

For my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples.
readLuke 2:30

Pray that the lost will see the salvation of God, and that they will trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
readHebrews 10:35

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will hold unswervingly to their faith and to their confidence in Christ, which has a great reward.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
readEphesians 6:11

Pray that those God sends to cross cultures will put on the full armor of God so that they will be able to stand against the schemes of the enemy.

Tuareg, Kidal Across Countries (ROP3 - 110232) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

4 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Timbuktu TamasheqPG013572Timbuktu TamasheqMali639,000Engaged yet UnreachedTamasheqFolk Islam
TuaregPG012454TuaregBurkina Faso202,000Engaged yet UnreachedTamasheqFolk Islam
TamasheqPG013590TamasheqMauritania152,000Engaged yet UnreachedTamasheqFolk Islam
Timbuktu Malian TamasheqPG047044Timbuktu Malian TamasheqNiger16,000Unengaged and UnreachedTawallammat TamajaqFolk Islam

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 Data Standards section.

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