Mongallese Arab in South Sudan

The Mongallese Arab have only been reported in South Sudan
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

The Mongallese Arabs of South Sudan are part of the Sudanese Arab people within the Arab World affinity bloc. This people group is only found in South Sudan, very close to the border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This people group became "Arabized" when Arabs invaded North Africa, causing many tribes and pre-Islamic Saharan nomadic groups to be displaced. These invasions also overran and absorbed, to some extent, the less powerful communities of black farmers, Jewish artists and Berber refugees who lived in and around the oases and trading centers of the northern desert. For this reason, many different groups exist throughout North Africa today, including these tribes, who have become "Arabized. "


What Are Their Lives Like?

Most of the Arabized tribes are farmers but not the Mongallese Arabs. Most of them are nomadic herdsmen, traveling from place to place with their herds of cattle and camels in search of better grazing lands. They have trouble finding adequate water for their livestock and medical care. Local people are rightfully afraid that the livestock of these nomadic Arabs will spread diseases to their herds. The Mongallese live in temporary camps due to their constant migrating tendencies. They usually live in dome-shaped shelters made of branches covered with grass. The Mongallese tribe dresses much like any other Arabic communities. They typically wear sandals, cotton turbans or caps and long-sleeved cotton tunics called djellabas. Their lives revolve around important ceremonies such as birth, marriage, death, and the first haircut and circumcision for boys. The most elaborate of all ceremonies is the marriage ceremony. Polygamy (having more than one wife) is a common practice among the Arabized tribes. However, according to Islamic law, a man cannot have more than four wives. After marriage, the newlywed couple generally lives with or near the husband's parents. However, in some groups, the young couple will live with the wife's family until after the birth of the first child.


One obstacle is the distinct dialect of the Mongallese Arabs. Another obstacle is their devotion to Mohammed and Islam.
What Are Their Beliefs?

With the death of Mohammed in AD 632, the Arabs erupted from the desert pastures of Arabia and overran the lands to the east and west. They intermarried with the local North African tribes and introduced them to Islam. The tribes began adopting the traditions and practices associated with Islamic culture. The spread of Islam continued and became even more advanced in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Today, virtually all of the Arabized tribes, including the Mongollese, are 100% Muslim.


What Are Their Needs?

The majority of the Arabized tribes, including the Mongollese, are not being ministered to by mission agencies and there are no known believers living among them. There is a great need for workers and intercessors for these precious people.


Prayer Points

Pray that gospel recordings, Bibles, Christian broadcasts and other literature will become easily available in Bimbashi Arabic for the Mongollese. Ask the Lord to call people who are willing to go to South Sudan and share Christ with these Muslims until they have their own Christ-ward movement. Pray that the Christians of South Sudan will be compelled to take the gospel to their unreached neighbors, including the Mongollese. Ask the Lord to raise up Christian medical teams to work among the Mongollese and other Arabized tribes.


Scripture Prayers for the Arab, Mongallese in South Sudan.


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Arab, Mongallese
People Name in Country Arab, Mongallese
Natural Name Mongallese Arab
Pronunciation MOHN-gah-leez AE-rub
Alternate Names Mongallese Arab
Population this Country 217,000
Population all Countries 217,000
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 4
People ID 13787
ROP3 Code 106754
ROP25 Code 300411
ROP25 Name Arab, Mongallese
Country South Sudan
Region Africa, East and Southern
Continent Africa
10/40 Window No
Persecution Rank Not ranked
Location in Country Central Equatoria State, Eastern Equatoria, Western Equatoria states: widespread, into Northern Bahr al Ghazal, Western Bahr al Ghazal and Upper Nile states.   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Country South Sudan
Region Africa, East and Southern
Continent Africa
10/40 Window No
Persecution Rank Not ranked
Location in Country Central Equatoria State, Eastern Equatoria, Western Equatoria states: widespread, into Northern Bahr al Ghazal, Western Bahr al Ghazal and Upper Nile states..   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Map of Arab, Mongallese in South Sudan
Primary Religion: Islam
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.20 %)
2.00 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
98.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Arabic, Juba (217,000 speakers)
Language Code pga   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Arabic, Juba (217,000 speakers)
Language Code pga   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Arabic, Juba

Primary Language:  Arabic, Juba

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1983-1985)
Bible-New Testament No
Bible-Complete No
Possible Print Bibles
Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Film / Video God's Story video God's Story
Photo Source (Representative photo)
Steve Evans - Wikimedia  Creative Commons 
Map Source People Group location: IMB. Map geography: ESRI / GMI. Map design: Joshua Project.  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.



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