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

People group profile · PG012144

The Suri of South Sudan

The Suri of South Sudan, numbering about 1,600 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are a Nilo-Saharan ethnolinguistic group indigenous to the southwestern plains of Ethiopia.

They are a diaspora people in the Nilotic people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam, and they primarily speak Tirmaga-Chai Suri.

Pray for the SuriPrint profile

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

Fast facts

Country
South Sudan
Population
1,600
Affinity group
Sub-Saharan African Peoples
People cluster
Nilotic
Primary language
Tirmaga-Chai Suri (suq)
Primary religion
Sunni Islam
Strategic Progress Index
Unengaged and Unreached
Evangelical
No Known Evangelicals
GSEC
Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
Lostness priority
Frontier Unreached People Group
Region
Northern Africa, Africa

Where they live

Gospel status

The Suri are Unengaged and Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, and there has been no reported church planting activity in the past two years. 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 Suri

  • Pray that God would send workers to this people group
  • Begin sowing the gospel and seek out people of peace
  • Plant the first churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice

Primary religion

Sunni Islam · Islam

Primary language

Tirmaga-Chai Suri · Surmic family

100% speak Tirmaga-Chai Suri

Gospel resources in Tirmaga-Chai Suri

  • Bible available
  • JESUS Film 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 Suri

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

Download a prayer guide

Suri in other countries

The same people (ROP3 109622) is reported in 1 other country.

People groupCountryPopulationStatus
SuriEthiopia99,500Unengaged and Unreached

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