Richard Buchta - Avokaya man with bow and spear

Avukaya is an ethnic group of

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 C ...

. Some members of this ethnic have fled to 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 ...

due to persecution. About 50,000 members of this ethnic group live in South Sudan. Many members of this ethnic group belong to the Christian minority of South Sudan. The Avukaya traditionally live in a rain-forest area in

Equatoria Equatoria is a region of southern South Sudan, along the upper reaches of the White Nile. Originally a province of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, it also contained most of northern parts of present-day Uganda, including Lake Albert and West Nile. It ...

close to the

Democratic Republic of 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 ...

in Southern Sudan. Historically, the Avokaya people are originally in

Maridi Maridi is a town in South Sudan. Location Maridi is located in Maridi County, Western Equatoria State, near the international border between South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This location lies approximately , by road, west of ...

town, Mambe, Bahr-Olo and Amaki. Besides Maridi, the Avukaya people are found in Tore Payam of Yei river County, Yei town, Bangolo Payam in Mundri County and other towns of the Sudan too. The Avokaya are the group of ethnic tribes that combined with the Moru on the mountains to put an end to the King Gbudwe of the Azande invasion of their territory. They are known for a dance called Mamburuku and socialisation with other tribes. Many speak Pa-Zande, Moru and Baka languages in addition to Avokaya. The Avukaya commonly enjoy Pirinda with Nyasa (food made of

sorghum ''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. One species is grown for grain, while many othe ...

millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...

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. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...

flour). They also like some wild fruits Omi and Kaniki) and yams.

External links

Overview of Avukaya on gurtong.net
Ethnic groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Ethnic groups in South Sudan {{SouthSudan-ethno-group-stub