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People group profile · PG011329

The Budugum of Chad

The Budugum of Chad, numbering about 44,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Chadic-speaking Masana subgroup whose ancestors are said to have migrated from Yemen through Egypt and Sudan to settle near Lake Chad by the early 9th century, later crossing into Cameroon for protection from Tripoli-based slave raiders.

They are an indigenous people in the Chadic people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Ethnoreligion, and they primarily speak Masana.

Pray for the BudugumPrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Budugum people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Budugum

Fast facts

Country
Chad
Population
44,500
Affinity group
Sub-Saharan African Peoples
People cluster
Chadic
Primary language
Masana (mcn)
Primary religion
Ethnoreligion
Strategic Progress Index ?
Engaged yet Unreached
Evangelical
No Known Evangelicals
GSEC ?
Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
Lostness priority ?
Frontier Unreached People Group
Region
Middle Africa, Africa

Where they live

Gospel status

The Budugum are Engaged yet Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, but there are sustained efforts to establish self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. In GSEC terms, this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.

  • Congregations exist No
  • Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted

Next steps for the Budugum

  • 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

Primary religion

Ethnoreligion

30% adherents

Primary language

Masana · Afro-Asiatic family

100% speak Masana

Gospel resources in Masana

  • Bible available, published 2004
  • JESUS Film available
  • Radio programs not available
  • Gospel recordings available
  • Audio resources available
  • Bible stories not available

Films

Bibles

Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.

Pray for the Budugum

  1. John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
  2. Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.
  3. Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.
  4. Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.

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