The flag of South Sudan was adopted following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 that ended the Second Sudanese Civil War.
The flag was previously used as the flag of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement. The flag bears striking similarities with both the flags of Sudan and Kenya. It shares the black, white, red, and green of the Sudanese flag (though different symbolism is given to the colors), in addition to having a chevron along the hoist. The horizontal black, white, red, and green bands of the flag share the same design as the Kenyan flag, and the Pan-African symbolism thereof.
Its Meaning and Colors
- Black: Represents the people of South Sudan.
- Red: Represents blood that was shed for the independence of the country.
- Green: Represents the country’s agricultural, natural wealth, land, as well as progress.
- White: Represents South Sudan’s peace attained after many years of the liberation struggle.
- Blue: Represents waters of the Nile River, a source of life for the country.
- Yellow: Represents unity (of the states), hope, and determination for all people
South Sudan Flag Designer
South Sudan’s flag was designed with a scale proportion of 2:1. The name of the designer is not known. The year of the design is speculated to be in 1990’s during the course of the fight for independence since it was designed by elements from SPLM/A.
It’s speculated that the flag was designed by a team headed by Dr. Riek Machar.