The Palaka Senufo of Cote d’Ivoire

The Palaka Senufo of Cote d’Ivoire, numbering approximately 17,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are described as a Senufo people of Cote d'Ivoire who separated from the main Senufo stock before the 1300s, remaining in place as the founding of the Bambara trade town of Kong sent related Senufo groups migrating outward, later colonized by the French and Mandingo They are an Indigenous people, with Senufo as their ethnic/kinship group and are in the Gur people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. They mostly adhere to Ethnoreligion and Palaka Senoufo is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Senufo, Palaka

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Cote d’Ivoire
People Cluster: Gur
Primary Language(s): Palaka Senoufo (plr)
Primary Religion(s): Ethnoreligion
Population: 17,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG013124
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Palaka Senufo of Cote d’Ivoire

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Ethnoreligion
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

—
%
Ethnoreligion Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Palaka Senoufo
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Sénoufo, Palaka Speakers

Media Resources in Palaka Senoufo:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Palaka Senoufo:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Palaka Senoufo bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Palaka Senufo are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Next steps for the Palaka Senufo:
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

Pray specifically for the Palaka Senufo of Cote d’Ivoire

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
readMatthew 11:28

Pray for those who are tired, weary, and burdened by the weight of sin to encounter Jesus and experience the rest that only He can give.

O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
readPsalm 104:24

Pray that they will see the wisdom and power of God in His creation and praise Him for His mighty works.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
readIsaiah 9:6

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will rejoice in the coming of the Prince of Peace because He will bring everlasting peace and rule with justice and righteousness.

To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.
read1 Corinthians 9:20

Pray that believers from similar cultures will be compelled by Christ's love to reach people who don't know the gospel, and that those people will receive the good news with joy.

Senufo, Palaka Across Countries (ROP3 - 107773) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

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