On 5 August 2017, a referendum was held by President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz to change the national flag, abolish the senate, and other constitutional amendments. The referendum was successful, and the new flag, including two red stripes, which represent “the efforts and sacrifices that the people of Mauritania will keep consenting, to the price of their blood, to defend their territory”, was adopted in for its first raising on 28 November 2017, the 57th anniversary of Mauritania’s independence.
Green, gold and red are considered Pan-African colors. Green is also used to symbolize Islam, and the gold is for the sands of the Sahara desert. The red stripes, which were added to the flag in 2017, represent “the efforts and sacrifices that the people of Mauritania will keep consenting, to the price of their blood, to defend their territory”. The crescent and star are symbols of Islam, which is Mauritania’s state religion. Some writers have also speculated that green symbolizes a bright future and growth. There was no official specification or construction sheet for the exact relative measurements of the star and crescent, except the flag’s measurements of 2:3, until May 2020.