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The Peri of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

The Peri of Congo, Democratic Republic of the, numbering approximately 47,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Bantu-speaking people of the ethnically diverse Ituri region in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Bhele is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of the
People Cluster: Bantu, Central-Congo
Primary Language(s): Bhele (bhy)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 47,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG014706
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Pray for the Peri 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.

Pray Now!
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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Roman Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

63%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Bhele
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Bhele Speakers

Media Resources in Bhele:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Bhele:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Bhele bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

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

I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.
readIsaiah 42:8

Pray that lost people will turn from worthless idols to worship the one true God, recognizing that He alone is worthy of all glory and praise.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise).
readEphesians 6:1-2

Pray that God will bring young men and women to faith in Jesus and that the fruit of their faith will be a powerful testimony as they honor their parents.

And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness.
readActs 4:29

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ and face rejection by unbelievers in their communities, God will give them discernment, boldness, and encouragement to speak His Word.

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.
readPsalm 57:9

Pray that God will raise up believers among them who will boldly go and share the gospel with people nearby and with those far away.

Peri Across Countries (ROP3 - 107983) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion ▼
PeriPG014706PeriCongo, Democratic Republic of the47,000Engaged yet UnreachedBheleRoman 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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