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People group profile · PG011470

The Zaghawa of Chad

The Zaghawa of Chad, numbering about 232,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a large ethnic sub-group of the Beri (Kige), a semi-nomadic community indigenous to southwestern Libya, northeastern Chad, and western Sudan.

They are an indigenous people in the Kanuri-Saharan people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam, and they primarily speak Zaghawa.

Pray for the ZaghawaPrint profile

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

Fast facts

Country
Chad
Population
232,000
Affinity group
Northern African and Middle Eastern Peoples
People cluster
Kanuri-Saharan
Primary language
Zaghawa (zag)
Primary religion
Sunni Islam
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
Also known as
Beri
Region
Middle Africa, Africa
Location
Ennedi-Est and Ennedi-Ouest regions; Wadi Fira region: Kobé department, Iriba, Matadjana, and Tiné Djagaraba subprefectures

Where they live

Gospel status

The Zaghawa 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 Zaghawa

  • 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

Sunni Islam · Islam

95% adherents

Primary language

Zaghawa · Saharan family

100% speak Zaghawa

Gospel resources in Zaghawa

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

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

Pray for the Zaghawa

  1. 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
  2. Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.
  3. Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.
  4. Matthew 9:37–38. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.

Download a prayer guide

Zaghawa in other countries

The same people (ROP3 111134) is reported in 3 other countries.

People groupCountryPopulationStatus
ZaghawaSudan267,000Engaged yet Unreached
ZaghawaLibya11,500Unengaged and Unreached
ZaghawaUnited States250Unengaged and Unreached

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