Flag of Biafra

The flag of Biafra, used by the Republic of Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970), consists of a horizontal tricolour of red, black, and green, charged with a golden rising sun over a golden bar. The eleven rays of the sun represent the eleven former provinces of Biafra. The rays are typically long and slender with the lowest rays being nearly horizontal and the remaining rays spread evenly between. The flag was first raised on 30 May 1967 and featured prominently during Colonel Odumegwu-Ojukwu's declaration of the independence of the Biafran Government. The colours of the flag of Biafra are taken directly from the original coat of arms of the Eastern Region 1960–67, which also includes the golden sun with 11 rays to represent the provinces of the former region. The flag is in the same style as the former Northern and Western region of Nigeria, all of which include their own coat of arms in the centre of a Nigerian flag. The Eastern Region's coat of arms was based on the colours of the Pan-African flag designed by Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League. As such, the flag of Biafra is similar to other flags which also used Pan-African colours including East African countries such as Kenya and Malawi. It was also the inspiration for the flag of the short-lived Republic of Benin, consisting of the Biafran-occupied Mid-Western region. Today these colours are commonly seen to represent: Red for the blood of Biafrans who died during the Nigerian Civil War, the famine during the war, as well as those who died prior to this in the Igbo pogroms in the Northern Region. Black is for the mourning of those who died, while both green and gold represent the prosperity and bright future for Biafrans. The half sun with the eleven rays has become a key part of the iconography of the Igbo people and is often used to represent ethnic or regional pride. Since Nigeria's return to democracy in 1999, after decades of military rule, it has coincided with the resurgence of demands for Igbo self-determination and Biafra secessionist movements.