People group profile · PG013128
The Soninke of Côte d’Ivoire
The Soninke of Côte d’Ivoire, numbering about 240,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a West African Mnade-speaking ethnic group inhabiting Mali, southern Mauritania, eastern Senegal, The Gambia, and Guinea.
They are a diaspora people in the Soninke people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam, and they primarily speak Soninke.
Fast facts
- Country
- Cote d’Ivoire
- Population
- 240,000
- Affinity group
- Sub-Saharan African Peoples
- People cluster
- Soninke
- Primary language
- Soninke (snk)
- 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
- Western Africa, Africa
Where they live
Gospel status
The Soninke 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 Soninke
- 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
75% adherents
Primary language
Soninke · Mande family
100% speak Soninke
Gospel resources in Soninke
- Bible available
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs not available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories available
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Soninke
- Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.
- Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.
- Matthew 9:37–38. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.
- 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
Soninke in other countries
The same people (ROP3 109413) is reported in 6 other countries.
| People group | Country | Population | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soninke | Mali | 2,290,000 | Engaged yet Unreached |
| Soninke | Senegal | 634,000 | Engaged yet Unreached |
| Soninke | Gambia | 204,000 | Engaged yet Unreached |
| Soninke | Mauritania | 151,000 | Engaged yet Unreached |
| Soninke | Guinea-Bissau | 11,500 | Engaged yet Unreached |
| Soninke | United States | 5,200 | Engaged yet Unreached |
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