The flag of the State of Azawad, an unrecognized state that declared independence from Mali on 6 April 2012, was a horizontal green-red-black tricolour with a yellow triangle at the hoist.

The symbolism behind colours to the Azawadi people are manifold as described by Moussa Ag Assarid: yellow representing the Sahara desert (in Tamacheq "tenere"), black representing the arduous history of the Tuaregs connected to anti-colonial struggle in their many uprisings as well as their difficult way of life, red representing the blood of the Azawadi martyrs and green which represents the scant vegetation in its Saharan and Sahelian regions.

A popular variation of the flag includes a red "yaz" or "ⵣ" letter in Tifinagh that serves as a universal symbol of the Amazigh people within its yellow hoist.

[citation needed] This version has a more specific reference to the Tuareg demographic in Azawad versus the Fulani, Songhai and Mauritanian (Beidane and Haratin) ethnicities present.

[citation needed] During previous Tuareg rebellions two different flags were proposed for Azawad.