People group profile · PG012433
The Northern Nuna of Burkina Faso
The Northern Nuna of Burkina Faso, numbering about 117,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a Gurunsi people of southern Burkina Faso who migrated north from Ghana with the Winiama at the end of the 1400s ahead of Mossi cavalry, whose advance was blocked by tsetse-infested bush that killed the horses, known for vividly colored ceremonial masks.
They are an indigenous people in the Gur people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Animism, and they primarily speak Northern Nuni.

Fast facts
- Country
- Burkina Faso
- Population
- 117,000
- Affinity group
- Sub-Saharan African Peoples
- People cluster
- Gur
- Primary language
- Northern Nuni (nuv)
- Primary religion
- Animism
- Strategic Progress Index
- No Longer Unreached
- Evangelical
- 5% or Greater but Less than 10%
- GSEC
- 5% or Greater but Less than 10% Evangelical
- Lostness priority
- Moderately Reached People Group
- Region
- Western Africa, Africa
Where they live
Gospel status
The Northern Nuna are No Longer Unreached, which means 2% or more are evangelical Christians. In GSEC terms, this people group is greater than or equal to 5% evangelical.
- Congregations exist Yes
- Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted
Next steps for the Northern Nuna
- Pray for the churches among this group to grow in faithfulness and maturity
- Equip believers to reach the unreached peoples around them
- Send out laborers from this people to the nations
Primary religion
Animism · Ethnoreligion
62% adherents
Primary language
Northern Nuni · Atlantic-Congo family
100% speak Northern Nuni
Gospel resources in Northern Nuni
- Bible available, published 2022
- JESUS Film not available
- Radio programs not available
- Gospel recordings not 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 Northern Nuna
- John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
- Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.
- Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.
- Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.
Know something we don't? Submit updates to IMB Global Research.