Flag of South Sudan
The flag of South Sudan was adopted following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the Second Sudanese Civil War. A different version of the flag was previously used as the flag of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement. The flag of South Sudan predates the country, as the flag was adopted in 2005, while the country became independent in 2011.
History
To address the discrepancies, on 25 August 2023, the Media Authority of South Sudan released an advisory to advertisement and printing companies identifying the correct version of the flag as having a light blue chevron and upright star. It is now illegal in South Sudan to distribute alternate reproductions of the flag which feature a dark blue chevron or tilted star.Description
The flag bears similarities with the flags of Sudan and Kenya. It shares the black, white, red, and green of the Sudanese flag, in addition to having a chevron along the hoist. The horizontal black, white, red, and green bands of the current South Sudanese flag share the same design as the Kenyan flag, and the Pan-African symbolism thereof. Another difference between the flags of Sudan and South Sudan is that there is a yellow star inside the blue triangle, representing the national unity of South Sudan.Since the flag was adopted, there have been disagreements about whether the star should be tilted to the right slightly or upright, and whether the chevron should be dark blue or sky blue. The dark blue chevron and the fixed stars were used at John Garang's funeral in 2005. Variants of the flag with dark blue chevron, tilted stars, or both were commonly used until 2023, when the government declared the sky blue chevron and upright star as the only accepted version.
Colours
While no officially standardized colour codes have ever been set by any legal document, on 25 August 2023, the Media Authority of South Sudan released an advisory discouraging the use of darker shades of blue. It is illegal in South Sudan to distribute an incorrect reproduction of the flag.Symbolism and representation
The South Sudanese government specifies that the colours of the flag are there to represent these descriptions of South Sudan:- 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 peace.
- Blue: Represents waters of the Nile River, a source of life.
- Yellow: Represents unity, hope, and determination for all people.