The Logo people or Logoa (plural) are an ethnic group of Nilotic origin who live predominantly in the north-east of the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

as well as parts of western

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...

and southern

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the ...

. There are believed to be more than 200,000 people who identify as ethnically Logo of whom most live in the Congo's Faradje Territory, a remote region in Haut-Uélé Province, where they form the ethnic majority. Logo people also live in Watsa and Aba, both also in Haut-Uélé, and in

Yei Yei is a medium-sized city in South Sudan's southwest. It lies close to the borders of two of the country's trading partners, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is a business hub, attracting traders and customers from all three ...

in South Sudan. The ethnic group is traditionally associated with the Logo language, known as ''Logoti'', from the Nilo-Saharan family. The language has an estimated 210,000 speakers. A further 100,000 speak the related dialect known as ''Ogambi''. Logoti is similar in derivation to the Nilotic Kaliko, Bari and

Lugbara language Lugbara, or Lugbarati, is the language of the Lugbara people. It is spoken in the West Nile region in northwestern Uganda, as well as the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Orientale Province. Classification and dialects The Aringa language, a ...

s spoken in the same region. The word ''logo'' means "human being" in the local language. Historically, the Logoa were less powerful than the important Mangbetu and Azande ethnic groups in the same region. Originating in the Sudan, the Logoa were progressively pushed southwards into their current territories around Faradje by rival ethnic groups and especially expanding Azande influence in the 19th century. Their remote location within the Congo meant that they were however able to avoid becoming subject peoples. The Logoa are divided into a number of tribal units and do not form a single polity. According to anthropologist

Jan Vansina Jan Vansina (14 September 1929 – 8 February 2017) was a Belgian historian and anthropologist regarded as an authority on the history of Central Africa, especially of what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi. He was ...

, the territory occupied by the Logoa and the Avukaya ethnic group forms a distinct geographic unit.

Citations

Further reading