🇧🇮 The colours of Burundi

Burundi’s flag features red, green, and white. Red stands for the nation’s suffering during its struggle for freedom, green for hope in future development, and white for peace. Three red stars outlined in green symbolise the country’s three main ethnic groups and the national motto.

Where no official value is given, the swatch shows the colour family, not the exact shade.

• The flag’s three stars represent Burundi’s three main ethnic groups.
• Red on the flag stands for suffering during the freedom struggle.
• Green symbolises hope for future development.
• White is meant to represent peace.
• No official colour shades are specified in law.

The colours of the flag of Burundi

The flag of Burundi is split into four sections by a white saltire, or diagonal cross. The top and bottom sections are red, while the left and right are green. In the centre, a white disk holds three red six-pointed stars outlined in green, arranged in a triangle. Officially, red is said to recall the suffering endured in the struggle for independence, green stands for hope in the country’s future development, and white represents peace. The three stars have several meanings: they stand for the Hutu, Twa, and Tutsi peoples, for the national motto (Unity, Work, Progress), and for loyalty to God, king, and country.

How the colours were chosen of Burundi

Burundi’s flag has changed with its political history. Under the monarchy, the flag featured a karyenda, a drum believed to have divine power and understood only by the king, symbolising authority and law. After the monarchy was abolished in 1966, the drum was replaced by a sorghum plant, reflecting the country’s agricultural importance. The current design, with the saltire and stars, was adopted after independence in 1962 and has seen minor adjustments, such as a change in the flag’s proportions in 1982.

Official shades and rules of Burundi

The constitution lists the national colours as green, white, and red, but does not specify exact shades. No official standards for the colours are documented by the government. Colours used at international events, such as the 2012 Olympics, serve as informal references.