The Jur Luo of South Sudan

The Jur Luo of South Sudan, numbering approximately 193,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Nilotic people of South Sudan's Bahr el Ghazal known by the Dinka exonym Jur, meaning people whose language is not understood, who diverged from the Luo of Kenya and Uganda around eight centuries ago amid upheaval from the Muslim conquest of Sudan. They mostly adhere to Protestantism and Luwo is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: South Sudan
People Cluster: Nilotic
Primary Language(s): Luwo (lwo)
Primary Religion(s): Protestantism
Population: 193,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG012091
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Jur Luo of South Sudan

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: Protestantism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

—
%
Protestantism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Luwo
Language Family: Nilotic

100%
%
Luwo Speakers

Media Resources in Luwo:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Luwo:

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

1 entry

Or check out the Luwo bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Jur Luo 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 Jur Luo:
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 Jur Luo of South Sudan

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.

Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!
readPsalm 150:2

Pray for the gospel to advance among those who are living in darkness. Pray that they will come to know Jesus and praise Him for all that He has done.

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
readIsaiah 26:3

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, the Lord will keep them in perfect peace as they trust in Him.

Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!"
readIsaiah 40:9

Pray for God to send and sustain believers to go and herald the good news to the lost here.

Jur Luo Across Countries (ROP3 - 104331) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

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

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