People group profile · PG023155
The Wassulu of Côte d’Ivoire
The Wassulu of Côte d’Ivoire, numbering about 19,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Fulani-descended people who integrated with Mande populations near where Mali, Ivory Coast, and Guinea meet, adopting a Bambara-related dialect before Islam's 18th-century spread, and briefly the heartland of Samory Toure's 1878-1898 Wassoulou Empire.
They are an indigenous people in the Malinke-Bambara people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Folk Islam, and they primarily speak Wojenaka.

Fast facts
- Country
- Cote d’Ivoire
- Population
- 19,500
- Affinity group
- Sub-Saharan African Peoples
- People cluster
- Malinke-Bambara
- Primary language
- Wojenaka (jod)
- Primary religion
- Folk 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 Wassulu 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 Wassulu
- 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
Folk Islam · Islam
99% adherents
Primary language
Wojenaka · Mande family
100% speak Wojenaka
Gospel resources in Wojenaka
- Bible not available
- JESUS Film not available
- Radio programs 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 Wassulu
- 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.
- John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
Wasulu in other countries
The same people (ROP3 110714) is reported in 2 other countries.
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