🇸🇩 The colours of Sudan

Sudan’s flag uses red, white, black, and green, known as the pan-Arab colours. Each colour stands for a part of Sudan’s history or identity: red for struggle and sacrifice, white for the people and hope, black for the country’s name and history, and green for Islam and the land’s fertility.

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

• Sudan’s flag uses the pan-Arab colours: red, white, black, and green.
• Red stands for struggle and sacrifice; black for Sudan’s name and history.
• The green triangle symbolises Islam and the land’s fertility.
• The current flag was adopted in 1970 after a national design competition.
• The earlier flag (1956–1970) was blue, yellow, and green for the Nile, Sahara, and farmlands.

The colours of the flag of Sudan

The Sudanese flag is made up of three horizontal stripes—red at the top, white in the middle, and black at the bottom—with a green triangle at the hoist (the side nearest the flagpole). These colours are called the pan-Arab colours and are linked to Arab unity and independence. Red stands for the country’s struggles and sacrifices. White symbolises the people, hope, and a nationalist group called the White Flag League. Black refers to the country’s name and the black flag used by nationalists during the Mahdist Revolution. Green is for Islam, farming, and prosperity. These meanings are widely recognised and explained in official and popular sources.

How the colours were chosen of Sudan

Sudan’s first flag after independence in 1956 was blue, yellow, and green, chosen to avoid favouring any ethnic or political group. Blue stood for the Nile, yellow for the Sahara, and green for farmlands. This flag was replaced in 1970 after a military coup, when a new flag using the pan-Arab colours was adopted. The current design, created by Abdel Rahman Ahmed Al-Jali, was selected in a national competition. The black stripe in the flag recalls the black flag used by Mahdist forces in the late 19th century. The earlier blue-yellow-green flag has been proposed for readoption in recent years during political unrest.

Official shades and rules of Sudan

The flag’s design follows the Arab Liberation Flag pattern: three equal horizontal stripes of red, white, and black, with a green triangle at the hoist. The sources do not specify exact shades or proportions beyond this arrangement. Sub-national flags often use state emblems on white or green backgrounds, but these are not standardised nationally.