Selim Baggara

Most Selim Baggaras observe a nomadic lifestyle without a permanent home. Aligning with this lifestyle, Selim Baggara marriages are often polygamous. If a man has two wives, one of the women may live in a pastoral camp, while the other woman lives in a farming village. The two households exchange products and labor, thereby increasing the family's collective income and meeting their needs. Selim Baggara men and women function with distinct roles. Besides building tents, the women milk the cows and sell the milk. The women also pay for household expenses, attend to their children, retrieve water, prepare daily meals, and conduct business in marketplaces. When stationary, the men care for the herds and also plant and harvest the crops. While women maintain the households, men leave for a year or two at a time to work in other countries.

Ministry Obstacles

The Baggara have been Muslims since the thirteenth century. They wear the clothes prescribed by Islam, and bury their dead facing Mecca, the holy city of Islam. Islam is central to their identity, and it will be difficult for them to allow Jesus into their lives.

Scripture Focus

"You shall have no other gods before me."  Exodus 20:3

Scripture Prayer

Pray for this people group to understand and obey this essential and central command.

Prayer Focus

Pray that God will establish long-term workers to travel and minister among this Baggara subgroup. Pray that the Holy Spirit will complete the work of drawing these people to believe the truth of Jesus. Ask the Lord to raise up strong local fellowships of believers among the Selim Baggara that will multiply into a sustained movement to Christ.