The Bari of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

The Bari of Congo, Democratic Republic of the, numbering approximately 34,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Nilotic indigenous people of the wider Bari (Karo) ethnic group, descended from communities centered in South Sudan whose homeland and cultural territory extend into northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Bari is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: Bari

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of the
People Cluster: Nilotic
Primary Language(s): Bari (bfa)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 34,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG039284
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Bari 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.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Roman Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

92%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Bari
Language Family: Nilotic

100%
%
Bari Speakers

Media Resources in Bari:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Bari:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
1979 Bible Society of South Sudan✓✓✓

1 entry

Or check out the Bari bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

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

The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live forever!
readPsalm 22:26

Pray that the lost will feel a deep hunger for God, be drawn to Him in their affliction, and find lasting satisfaction and salvation in Him alone.

For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God!
readDeuteronomy 32:3

Pray that believers will proclaim the Lord’s name and declare the greatness of our God so that others might believe in Him.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
readColossians 3:1

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
readMatthew 7:28-29

Pray that God will remind believers that they have His authority as they share His truth with the lost, and pray He will draw crowds of people to this message and plant it deeply in their hearts.

Bari Across Countries (ROP3 - 101283) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

4 people groups

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.

Scroll to Top