Flag of South Sudan

What the flag of South Sudan looks like

The flag of South Sudan has a width-to-height ratio of 2:1. It has three wide horizontal bands: black at the top, red in the middle and green at the bottom. A thin white stripe lies between black and red and between red and green. At the hoist is a light blue isosceles triangle with its point toward the fly and a gold star inside it. Since 2023 the government accepts only the version with a light blue triangle and an upright star.

The layout is close to the flag of Kenya, which also uses black, red and green with white stripes. It also shares a triangle at the hoist with the flag of Sudan, which is why the two are sometimes confused. The differences are easy to spot: Sudan has red, white and black bands with a green triangle, and South Sudan has a blue triangle with a star.

South Sudan flag meaning and symbolism

The meanings below are those specified by the South Sudanese government. Black stands for the people of South Sudan. Red stands for the blood shed during the struggle for freedom. Green stands for agriculture, natural wealth, land and progress. White stands for peace. The blue triangle represents the waters of the Nile, the river that runs through the country and is a source of life. The gold star stands for the unity of the states, as well as hope and determination for all people.

Many African flags use black, red and green in the Pan-African tradition, and South Sudan's choice of colors places it in that family.

History of the South Sudan flag

The design began as the flag of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement and Army (SPLM/A), which fought the Sudanese government in the Second Sudanese Civil War, from 1983 to 2005. Before independence, South Sudan had been part of Sudan, which became independent in 1956 after joint British and Egyptian rule.

The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement ended the war, and the flag was adopted following its signing, six years before the country became independent in July 2011 (so the flag predates the state). In January 2011 the region voted overwhelmingly for independence in a referendum, and the country became independent on 9 July 2011. For years the flag was drawn in several versions, some with a dark blue triangle or a slightly tilted star, including at John Garang's funeral in 2005. On 25 August 2023 the Media Authority of South Sudan issued an advisory naming the light blue triangle and upright star as the correct version, and it is now illegal in South Sudan to distribute alternate reproductions.

South Sudan flag vs Sudan flag

Sudan and South Sudan separated in 2011 after decades of conflict and a referendum, and their flags reflect two different traditions. Sudan uses red, white, black and green with a green triangle. South Sudan shares the black, white, red and green of the Sudanese flag, though the symbolism differs, and adds a blue triangle with a yellow star. See the flags of the world for more comparisons.