Sudan

Last modified: 1997-12-22 by vincent morley
Keywords: sudan | africa | arab | bhar el ghazal | kordofan | splm |
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by Zeljko Heimer 7-FEB-1996

• Explanation of the Flag
• Former flag, 1956-1970
• Bhar el Ghazal
• Kordofan province
• Sudan People's Liberation Movement
• Flags of the Mahdi

See also:

• Kingdom of Hejaz (Pan-Arab colours)

About the colours of the current national flag of Sudan, information from the Sudanese government is as follows:

1. Red stands for struggle and the martyrs of the Sudan and the Great Arab Land.
2. White stands for Islam, peace, optimism, light and love.
3. Black stands for Sudan and the Mahdiya revolution (the Black Flag).
4. Green our stands for prosperity, good and agriculture.

Jaume Ollé, 4-MAR-1996

First flag of independent Sudan, adopted 1 January 1956. Ratio 1:2.

Jaume Ollé, 3-MAR-1996

There was a hijacking of a Sudanese airliner to Stansted airport here in England recently. In one newspaper report there was a colour photo of the airliner on the ground at the airport, and whilst it had the current Sudanese flag (in the "Arab Revolt" colours of red, white, green and black) painted on the fuselage by the cockpit, the "flash" (or what I believe is called the "cheat line") of the airline's livery along the length of the aircraft was clearly in the colours of the old blue over yellow over green flag used from independence in 1956 until 1970.

Roy Stilling, 3-SEP-1996

The Sudanese provinces adopted flags - as a rule monocolour with a local symbol in the center. The number of provinces is about to change or has already changed; I don't know if the new provinces have adopted flags. The flag of Kordofan corresponds to one of the old provinces.

Jaume Ollé, 3-MAR-1996

This flag is presumably that of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement. It appeared on television during a report related to the war in the South of Sudan and was placed at the side of a personage who I think was Colonel John Garang. The SPLM is not a separatist movement (like the Anya-Nya) but operates in the South with the intention of taking power throughout the country.

Jaume Ollé, 3-MAR-1996

Some years ago I saw a movie about the Mahdiya revolution and I seem to recall that a black flag with white Shahada (or white flag with black Shahada) was used. Does someone know if the flag in the movie was the mere imagination of the director or really the flag of the Mahdi?

Jaume Ollé, 4-MAR-1996

Indeed, the flag of the Mahdi is always said to be black. Since the colors have a deeper religious meaning, any white flag should be out of question (my guess). It is, however, an Arab tradition to write religious statements on flags. So, for once, the flags in the movie could very well have had a historical background.

Harald Müller, 5-AUG-1996

G.W. Steevens in his With Kitchener to Khartoum refers to a few Mahdist flags. At the battle of Omdurman, he mentions the "black banner of the Kahlifa's brother" and the "blue and white banners of his son". Khalifa Abduallah el Taashi was successor to the Mahdi. War artist H.C. Seppings Wright (who was at the battle of Ombdurman, I think) has done a painting of the aftermath of the massacre in which the dead Mahdists are still holding upright the Kahlifa's black flag.

T.F. Mills, 6-AUG-1996

by Mark Sensen 06-AUG-1996

I have a copy of a letter (11 September 1952) from the Sudan Government Civil Secretary's Office, Public Relations Branch to Dr Ottried Neubecker with a drawing of the Mahdists' flag hoisted over the party headquarters, regarded as the standard version: horizontal black-red-green, with a white crescent (points upward) and spear overall in the center. Another version had the crescent and spear in the black stripe at the fly.

Mark Sensen, 6-AUG-1996