From the 1970's through the 1990's, the social and political lives of the Mimi have been disrupted due to the civil wars that are taking place in Chad. The Mima of Sudan are chiefly nomadic herdsmen. Most of them own herds of camels and flocks of sheep and goats. During the winter months, the young men take some of the camels to grazing areas that are abundant in water and grass. The women weave hair rugs, while the men make water-skins, buckets, and ropes.
Children have responsibilities such as spinning goat and camel hair into thread.
Some of the men also go to market towns to sell animals or to buy grain, cloth, sugar, and tea. These market centers include Woda'a, Fafa, and Magrur merchants. Despite their differences in livelihood, many similarities exist between the Mimi and Mima. Both groups have a history of being politically significant and were divided into twenty or thirty subsections headed by native chiefs. Both fought well in battle and were commended for their bravery.