Sudan's leaders proudly boast that they are the leaders of the Islamic revolution in Africa. The Arab minority have used this as a tool to strengthen both their personal control of the economy and their political power. The tragic cost of this has been more than a million people killed, an economy devastated, and a country divided.

What Are Their Lives Like
Those Sudanese who consider themselves Arab are generally racially mixed, and many of them are indistinguishable from blacks living in southern Sudan. Despite a common language and religion, the "Arabs" are not a unified group. They differ greatly in occupation and way of life and are composed of city dwellers, village farmers, and nomadic herdsmen. The Arabs have historically been divided into tribes based on presumed descent from a common ancestor. Each tribe (or cluster of tribes) is assigned to a larger tribal grouping, with the two largest being the Jaaliyin and the Juhaynah. Today, this system has largely disappeared in the cities and villages and exists only among the nomads of the plains.

Little is known about the specific lifestyle and culture of the Rufaa; thus, some assumptions have been made in this profile based on other groups that live in this region. About two-thirds of Sudan's population is engaged in subsistence farming or grazing, but only about five percent of the land is arable. Many farmers live in the southern part of the country or in the grasslands of central and western Sudan. Sorghum and millet are the main crops grown there, but wheat, corn, and barley are also raised. As a whole, the main crops grown in Sudan are cotton, peanuts, sesame, gum arabic, durra (a type of sorghum), sugarcane, coffee, and dates.

Since water is scarce, rural communities in Sudan are usually clustered near sources of water. The types of houses built vary from north to south. In the north, villages are often strung out along the rivers, and houses are made of sun-dried bricks and have flat-topped roofs. In central and southern Sudan, there are round huts with thatched, cone-shaped roofs made of grass, millet stalks, and wooden poles. In central Sudan, walls made of millet stalks often surround compounds.

Though towns are few and widely scattered, about 20% of Sudan's population can be considered urban. Southern Sudan was the least urbanized region in 1956 but has since seen much urban growth.

What Are Their Belief?
A major rift exists between the northern and southern peoples of Sudan. The north is dominated by Muslims, most of whom speak Arabic and identify themselves as Arabs. The people of the south are primarily Africans (blacks), who for the most part follow traditional African religions. Also, some Christians can be found in the south.

The Rufaa are 99.8% Sunni Muslim. Sunni Islam in Sudan, as in much of the rest of Africa, has been characterized by the formation of tariqas, or Muslim religious brotherhoods. The oldest of these tariqas is the Qadiriyah, which was introduced to Sudan from the Middle East in the 1500's. Another major tariqa is the Khatmiyah, or Mirghaniyah, founded in the early 1800's.

What Are Their Needs?
The Rufaa have a few Christian resources available to them, but there are no missions agencies currently working with them. More information, fervent intercession, and pioneer missions efforts are all required to win the Rufaa to Christ.

• Ask the Lord to open the doors of Sudan to the preaching of the Gospel.
• Pray that many of the Rufaa will hear and respond to the Christian radio programs being broadcast in their area.
• Pray that God will reveal Himself to the Rufaa through dreams and visions.
• Ask the Lord to save key leaders among the Rufaa who will proclaim the Gospel to their own people.
• Pray that God will strengthen, embolden, and protect the few Rufaa believers.
• Take authority over the spiritual principalities and powers that are keeping the Rufaa bound.
• Ask God to raise up prayer teams who will begin breaking up the soil through worship and intercession.
• Pray that strong local churches will be raised up among the Rufaa.

THE PEOPLE

• People name: Rufaa
• Country: Sudan
• Their language: Sudani
• Population: (1990) 300,400
  (1995) 343,300
  (2000) 392,000
• Largest religion: Muslim (Malikite) 99.8%
• Christian: <1%
• Church members: 687
• Scriptures in their own language: Portions
• Jesus Film in their own language: None
• Christian broadcasts in their own language: Available
• Mission agencies working among this people: 0
• Persons who have heard the Gospel: 76,200 (23%) Those evangelized by local Christians: 17,900 (6%)
  Those evangelized from the outside: 58,300 (17%)
• Persons who have never heard the Gospel: 267,100 (77%)

• Country: Sudan
• Population: (1990) 24,585,400
  (1995) 28,098,500
  (2000) 32,078,700
• Major peoples in size order: Sudanese Arab 13%
  Gaaliin 6.6%
  Guhayna 3.1%
  Beja 3%
• Major religions: Muslim 69.3%
  Christian 19.6%
  Ethnic religionist 9%
• Number of denominations: 20