The Luo are a

Nilotic The Nilotic peoples are peoples Indigenous people of Africa, indigenous to South Sudan and the Nile Valley who speak Nilotic languages. They inhabit South Sudan and the Gambela Region of Ethiopia, while also being a large minority in Kenya, Uga ...

ethnic group that live in Western Bhar Gazal,

South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...

. They are part of a larger group of ethno-linguistically related

Luo people The Luo are a Nilotic peoples, Nilotic-speaking ethnic group native to Nyanza Province, western Kenya and the Mara Region of northern Tanzania. The Luo are the fourth-largest ethnic group (10.65%) in Kenya, after the Kikuyu people, Kikuyu (1 ...

of East Africa. They speak the Luo language They are related to the

Luo Luo or LUO may refer to: Luo peoples and languages *Luo peoples, an ethno-linguistic group of eastern and central Africa **Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania or Joluo, an ethnic group in western Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania. *** Luol ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

, Uganda and

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

. The date of divergence is estimated to have been about eight centuries ago. Their closest relatives are the

Anyuak The Anyuak, also known as Anyuaa and Anywaa, are a Luo Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting parts of East Africa. The Anuak belong to the larger Luo family group. Their language is referred to as Dha-Anywaa. They primarily reside in the Gambela Region ...

, and Shilluk.There is no tribe called Jurchol in South Sudan. 'Jur' is a reference the Dinka use to refer to someone whose language they don't understand. The Luo of South Sudan are some of the most peaceful people of the land. They believe in a united South Sudan.

Name

The Luwo are known to the Dinka as Jur Chol which is an exonym taken from the

Dinka language Dinka (natively , or simply ) is a Nilotic dialect cluster spoken by the Dinka people, a major ethnic group of South Sudan. There are several main varieties, such as Padang, Rek, Agaar, Ciec, Malual, Apaak, Aliab, Bor, Hol, Nyarweng, Twic Eas ...

(compare Jur Beli). Some Luo politicians object to the name.

Culture

The Luo reside in their lands Piluwo or Luwo Land in the

Jur River The Jur River ( Luo River) is a river in western South Sudan, flowing through the Bahr el Ghazal and Equatoria regions. About long, it flows north and northeast, joining the Bahr el Ghazal River on the western side of the Sudd wetlands. The Ju ...

and

Wau Wau may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Papua New Guinea * Wau, Papua New Guinea * Wau Airport (Papua New Guinea) * Wau Rural LLG, (local level government) South Sudan * Wau State, South Sudan * Wau, South Sudan, city * Wau railway s ...

counties of

Western Bahr el Ghazal Western Bahr el Ghazal is a state in South Sudan. It has an area of and as of 2020 has estimated 600,000 in population. It is part of the Bahr el Ghazal region. Its capital is Wau. The state shared international borders with Sudan to the north ...

State and in Aweil Center County of

Northern Bahr el Ghazal Northern Bahr el Ghazal (Arabic: ولاية شمال بحر الغزال) is a States of South Sudan, state in South Sudan. It has an area of 30,543 km2 and is part of the Bahr el Ghazal (region of South Sudan), Bahr el Ghazal region. It b ...

State. The Luo are also

sedentary Sedentary lifestyle is a lifestyle type, in which one is physically inactive and does little or no physical movement and/or exercise. A person living a sedentary lifestyle is often sitting or lying down while engaged in an activity like soc ...

, meaning they have a centralized living area. They grow

sorghum ''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a species in the Poaceae, grass genus ''Sorghum (genus), Sorghum'' cultivated for its grain. The grain i ...

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...

sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of ...

es, and

bean A bean is the seed of some plants in the legume family (Fabaceae) used as a vegetable for human consumption or animal feed. The seeds are often preserved through drying (a ''pulse''), but fresh beans are also sold. Dried beans are traditi ...

s. They can

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

hunt Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

, and beekeep, making them a well-rounded society.

Population

The Luwo are one of the smaller tribes of South Sudan with population about 171,000. By some accounts, the Luo are the eighth largest ethnic group in South Sudan. They may be found in Aweil,

and

Tonj Tonj is a town located in Warrap State, in the Bahr el Ghazal region of South Sudan. It is known by various names, including ''Kalkuel, Genanyuon, Jurkatac, Madiera, Genngeu, and Tonjdit''. The town is bordered by Rumbek, Cueibet, Yambio, B ...

states or in

and

states by the pre-2015 organisation. A census conducted in 1983 put their population at 80,000.

Notable people

Joseph Ukel Abango Joseph Ukel Abango (January 1939 – 5 March 2021), commonly known as Joseph Ukel, was a veteran-politician of what is now South Sudan and an educationalist by profession. Professional career Joseph Ukel was born in January 1939 in Achot, a v ...

, former Minister of General Education in South Sudan. Veterans South Sudanese politician. *Peter Lau Madhieu, pioneer of Mapel and major contributor to the SPLM/A *

James Ajongo Mawut James Ajongo Mawut (1 January 1961 – 20 April 2018) was the Chief and top General of the South Sudanese Military, the South Sudanese Peoples Defence Force, (SSPDF). He was appointed on 9 May 2017 and took-over the office on 10 May 2017 after h ...

, Army Chief of Staff in the

Sudan People's Liberation Army The South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF), formerly the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), is the military force of South Sudan. The SPLA was founded as a guerrilla movement against the government of Sudan in 1983 and was a key parti ...

* Elias Waya Nyipuoc, first Governor of

Wau State Wau State was a state in South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of ...

* Mark Nyipuoch, former Governor of

and Current Deputy Speaker of South Sudan's National Legislative Assembly * Mary Jarvis Yak, Deputy Minister of Finance in South Sudan * Archbishop Erneu Dut Wien, First South Sudanese

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

Bishop and Archbishop. * Jarvis Yak, First South Sudanese

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum is the capital city of Sudan as well as Khartoum State. With an estimated population of 7.1 million people, Greater Khartoum is the largest urban area in Sudan. Khartoum is located at the confluence of the White Nile – flo ...

governor in 1960s. * Joseph Garang, First South Sudanese to Graduate from Faculty of Law *

Mathiang Muo Mathiang Mauot Muo (born 4 March 1987) is an Australian-South Sudanese professional basketball player for the Perth Redbacks of the NBL1 West. He played four seasons of college basketball in the United States between 2009 and 2013 before join ...

Pione Sisto Pione Sisto Ifolo Emirmija (; born 4 February 1995) is a Danish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Midfielder#Winger, left winger for Greek club Aris Thessaloniki F.C., Aris. He began his professional career with FC Mid ...

References

{{authority control Ethnic groups in South Sudan Luo peoples Western Bahr el Ghazal Northern Bahr el Ghazal