THE Rwandan government has unveiled plans for a new flag, new national anthem and new emblem, the pro-government newspaper New Times has revealed. The new flag will be yellow, green and blue, the newspaper said on Monday, quoting Joseph Nsengimana, an advisor to President Paul Kagame. Rwanda’s current flag is red, yellow and green. Nsengimana said the yellow would symbolise economic growth, green would represent prosperity and blue would depict good fortune and optimism. The new national emblem would be composed of several symbols, including a green ring illustrating Rwandan unity and two shields representing patriotism. The lyrics for the new national anthem have been composed by prisoners in the southern town of Butare. Rwandans have long held that the flag should be replaced as the colour red is associated with bloodshed that has characterised the country since independence, culminating in the 1994 genocide in which between 500 000 and 800 000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by Hutu extremists. – AFP