[The Mende people are one of the largest ethnic groups in Sierra Leone who speak a language of the Mande branch of the Niger-Congo family. (PMID:15761855) Samples from this population were studied as part of the full 1000 Genomes project (https://www.coriell.org/1/NHGRI/Collections/1000-Genomes-Collections/Mende-in-Sierra-Leone-MSL)]
[Includes individuals with ethnic origins in the Semitic people populating the Arabian Peninsula and other countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa]