The Southern Samo of Burkina Faso

The Southern Samo of Burkina Faso, numbering approximately 183,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a people of Burkina Faso. They mostly adhere to Folk Islam and Southern Samo is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Samo, Southern

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Burkina Faso
People Cluster: Mande
Primary Language(s): Southern Samo (sbd)
Primary Religion(s): Folk Islam
Population: 183,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG012448
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Southern Samo of Burkina Faso

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: Folk Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

—
%
Folk Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Southern Samo
Language Family: Mande

100%
%
Samo, Southern Speakers

Media Resources in Southern Samo:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Southern Samo:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
1995 Bible Society of Burkina Faso✓✓✓

1 entry

Or check out the Southern Samo bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Southern Samo 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.

Next steps for the Southern Samo:
Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Southern Samo of Burkina Faso

For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?
readPsalm 18:31

As people look to their own efforts for hope, pray they will have the opportunity to learn and believe in the Lord, who is the only Rock worthy of their faith.

The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place that you appointed for them.
readPsalm 104:8

Pray that they will see the hand of God in the beauty and order of the natural world, and that they will worship Him as the Creator and Sustainer of all things.

He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.
readPsalm 62:2

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be in awe of Jesus, remembering that He is their rock, their fortress, and their salvation.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
readActs 1:8

Pray that God will raise up believers who are willing to cross cultures and boldly share the good news of Jesus with the lost in this people group and from every nation.

Samo, Southern Across Countries (ROP3 - 108630) 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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