The Riffi Imazighen of France

The Riffi Imazighen of France, numbering approximately 138,000 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are a subgroup of the Indigenous Amazigh peoples of North Africa, united by a shared Amazigh heritage, related Tamazight languages, and a long history of adaptation across the mountains, coasts, and deserts of the Maghreb. They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Tarifit is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Amazigh, Riffi

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Arab Peoples
Country: France
People Cluster: Amazigh-Riff
Primary Language(s): Tarifit (rif)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 138,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Unengaged and Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG011677
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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Sunni Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

99%
%
Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Tarifit
Language Family: Afro-Asiatic

100%
%
Tarifit Speakers

Media Resources in Tarifit:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film
The SaviorView Film

3 films

Bible Resources in Tarifit:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
Arabic Script✓✓✓
Latin Script✓✓✓

2 entries

Or check out the Tarifit bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

Explore Lostness and Next Steps

Unengaged and Unreached

Strategic Priority Index (SPI): Unengaged and Unreached (SPI: 0), 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.
Lostness Priority Index (LPI): Frontier Unreached People Group, (LPI: 0), < 0.1% Evangelical.
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity (GSEC: 1), this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years

Next steps for the Riffi Imazighen:
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

Pray specifically for the Riffi Imazighen of France

The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer.
readPsalm 6:9

Pray that lost people will hear the gospel and place their faith in Christ, knowing that He hears their plea and accepts their prayer.

Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
readPsalm 2:10-11

Pray for the rulers and authorities here to seek the Lord and serve Him only. Pray that the people they lead will be amazed by the work of God in their lives.

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.

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
readJohn 12:24

Pray that God will raise up men and women who are willing to die to their own desires, bearing much fruit for the kingdom among individuals and in places where His gospel has not been proclaimed.

Amazigh, Riffian Across Countries (ROP3 - 101275) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

3 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguage ▲Religion
ImazighenImazighenNetherlands168,000Unengaged and UnreachedCentral Atlas TamazightSunni Islam
Riffi ImazighenRiffi ImazighenFrance138,000Unengaged and UnreachedTarifitSunni Islam
Riffi ImazighenRiffi ImazighenMorocco2,285,000Engaged yet UnreachedTarifitSunni 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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