When Sudan became independent in 1956, the predominantly Christian people living in the south of the country had no regional symbols, while the already dominant Muslim north displayed Islamic symbols on the national flag. Before independence, the British government had arranged for appropriate local symbols for the regions in Sudan, but the new government in independent Sudan had opposed the use of these symbols as being counterproductive to fostering national unity. From the outset, the southern Sudanese felt discriminated against by the Islamic north. The southerners fought a drawn-out and bloody civil war to gain their independence, followed by a peace agreement in 2005 that included a referendum on independence in the south. The referendum was passed with overwhelming support in 2011, and South Sudan became officially independent on 9 July that same year. In the 1990s, during their struggle with the north, the southern Sudanese had created a banner of independence, which would become the new national flag.
Description
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, 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. Another main difference between the flags of Sudan and South Sudan is that there is a yellow star inside the blue triangle that represents the unity of South Sudan. In an illustration of the contrasting regional orientation of the two Sudans, the flag of Sudan shares the stripes of the Egyptian flag, while the flag of South Sudan shares the stripes of the Kenyan flag.
Symbolism and representation
The Southern 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 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, hope, and determination for all people.
South Sudan is currently divided into ten states, two administrative areas and one area with special administrative status. The ten states have all adopted distinctive state flags.
