Prototype rebuild by the IMB Innovation Team. The official site is peoplegroups.org.

People group profile · PG011646

The Sudanese Arabs of Ethiopia

The Sudanese Arabs of Ethiopia, numbering about 266,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a culturally rich group formed through centuries of admixture between indigenous Africans and Arab immigrants, characterized by their Sunni Muslim faith, Arabic language, and influential role in Sudan's socio-political landscape.

They are a diaspora people in the Arab, Sudan people cluster of the Arab Peoples. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam, and they primarily speak Sudanese Arabic.

Pray for the Sudanese ArabsPrint profile

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

Fast facts

Country
Ethiopia
Population
266,000
Affinity group
Northern African and Middle Eastern Peoples
People cluster
Arab, Sudan
Primary language
Sudanese Arabic (apd)
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
Region
Eastern Africa, Africa

Where they live

Gospel status

The Sudanese Arabs 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 Sudanese Arabs

  • 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

98% adherents

Primary language

Sudanese Arabic · Afro-Asiatic family

100% speak Sudanese Arabic

Gospel resources in Sudanese Arabic

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

Films

  • JESUS (Arabic, Sudanese Spoken)
  • JESUS (Arabic, Sudanese Spoken)
  • Magdalena (Arabic, Sudanese Spoken)

Bibles

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

Pray for the Sudanese Arabs

  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

Arab, Sudanese in other countries

The same people (ROP3 109571) is reported in 14 other countries.

People groupCountryPopulationStatus
Sudanese ArabsSudan15,820,000Engaged yet Unreached
Sudanese ArabsEgypt4,320,000Unengaged and Unreached
Sudanese ArabsYemen584,000Unengaged and Unreached
Sudanese ArabsSaudi Arabia477,000Unengaged and Unreached
Sudanese ArabsLibya257,000Unengaged and Unreached
Sudanese ArabsUnited Arab Emirates85,000Unengaged and Unreached
Sudanese ArabsQatar56,500Unengaged and Unreached
Sudanese ArabsUnited States52,500Unengaged and Unreached
Sudanese ArabsEritrea33,000Unengaged and Unreached
Sudanese ArabsOman23,500Unengaged and Unreached
Sudanese ArabsCanada22,000Unengaged and Unreached
Sudanese ArabsNetherlands7,700Unengaged and Unreached
Sudanese ArabsItaly5,000Engaged yet Unreached
Sudanese ArabsFrance3,300Unengaged and Unreached

Know something we don't? Submit updates to IMB Global Research.