The World's Newest Flag

The conflict between northern and southern Sudan began before independence itself: in 1955, a year before Sudan gained independence from Britain and Egypt, southern soldiers mutinied, beginning the First Sudanese Civil War. Broadly, the conflict pitted the Arab, Muslim-majority north against the sub-Saharan, predominantly Christian and animist south. The First Civil War ended in 1972 with the Addis Ababa Agreement, which granted the south regional autonomy — but war resumed in 1983 when President Nimeiry imposed Islamic law across the entire country. The Second Sudanese Civil War lasted until 2005 and resulted in an estimated 2 million deaths and 4 million displaced.

The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement ended the Second Civil War and granted the south a six-year period of regional autonomy, after which a referendum on independence would be held. The Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) had used a flag throughout the conflict — horizontal stripes of black, red and green with a blue triangle at the hoist containing a gold star — that would become the basis for South Sudan's national flag. During the interim period, the south developed its own institutions in preparation for potential statehood.

The independence referendum was held from 9 to 15 January 2011. Turnout was 97.58%. Of votes cast, 98.83% were in favour of independence — one of the largest mandates for independence in modern history. International observers declared the vote free and fair. The result had been widely anticipated given the history of the conflict, but the scale of the majority was striking. Celebrations broke out across the south as the results were announced.

South Sudan declared independence at midnight on 9 July 2011, becoming the 193rd member state of the United Nations and the world's newest country. The national flag — based directly on the SPLM movement flag — was raised for the first time. Black represents the people of South Sudan; red represents the blood shed in the struggle for independence; green represents the land and agriculture; white represents peace; blue represents the River Nile; and the gold star represents unity. The flag was adopted by the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan, which came into force at independence.