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The Vanuma of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

The Vanuma of Congo, Democratic Republic of the, numbering approximately 17,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Bantu people of Ituri in northeastern DRC, also known as South Nyali, whose Vanuma language is closely related to the neighboring Ndaka, Budu, Mbo, and North Nyali languages. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Vanuma is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Vanuma

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of the
People Cluster: Bantu, Central-Congo
Primary Language(s): Vanuma (vau)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 17,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG014742
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Pray for the Vanuma of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

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.

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Roman Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

54%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Vanuma
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Vanuma Speakers

Media Resources in Vanuma:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Vanuma:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Vanuma bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Vanuma 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 Vanuma:
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 Vanuma of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

"For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." Those who heard it said, "Then who can be saved?" But he said "What is impossible with man is possible with God."
readLuke 18:25-27

Pray that the lost who think they have everything they need will recognize their spiritual poverty apart from Jesus and turn to Him in faith.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
readMatthew 6:10

Pray that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven, and that people will seek His kingdom and righteousness above all else, trusting in His provision.

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
readPhilippians 3:20-21

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will remember their citizenship is in heaven.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
read2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Pray that as people hear and believe the gospel, they will serve others in Jesus' name, and the lost will have an opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel.

Vanuma Across Countries (ROP3 - 110514) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
VanumaPG014742VanumaCongo, Democratic Republic of the17,500Engaged yet UnreachedVanumaRoman Catholicism

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

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

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