The diagonal stripe across the flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is red.
The current Congolese flag has a sky-blue field, a yellow five-pointed star in the upper hoist, and a red diagonal band edged in yellow. The stripe runs from the lower hoist toward the upper fly, creating one of the flag’s most distinctive features. Red traditionally represents the blood of the country’s martyrs, while yellow signifies wealth and the star represents the future.
The design was adopted on 18 February 2006 after a new constitution restored a flag based on the country’s earlier designs. A similar red, yellow-edged diagonal stripe appeared on the flag adopted in 1963 and modified in 1966. Between 1971 and 1997, when the country was known as Zaire, a very different light-green flag displayed a yellow circle, an arm, and a flaming torch. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is sometimes confused with the Republic of the Congo, whose flag has diagonal green, yellow, and red bands but no blue field or star.