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The Bwa of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

The Bwa of Congo, Democratic Republic of the, numbering approximately 506,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Ubangian-speaking farming and hunting people of the Bas-Uele savanna in northern DR Congo, in close contact with the neighboring Mangbetu and Zande, known for distinctive ceremonial masks. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Bwa is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of the
People Cluster: Bantu, Central-Congo
Primary Language(s): Bwa (bww)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 506,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG014532
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Pray for the Bwa 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.

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Roman Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

51%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Bwa
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Bwa Speakers

Media Resources in Bwa:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Bwa:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Bwa bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

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

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.

Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
readGenesis 2:7

Pray that Christians will be able to share the hope of Christ with suffering people and that He will breathe new life into their souls.

But my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.
readHebrews 10:38

Pray that as people trust in Christ, they will live by faith and not shrink back from their hope in Christ.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
readPsalm 51:2

Pray that God will raise up believers to go and share the gospel with those in this people group who need to be washed of their iniquity and cleansed from their sins.

Bwa (Bwa) Across Countries (ROP3 - 101819) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▲Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
BwaPG014532BwaCongo, Democratic Republic of the506,000Engaged yet UnreachedBwaRoman Catholicism

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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