Guor Maker
© UNHCR/T. Ongaro
"There was internal conflict and war between North and South Sudan. Our village was burned down and we had to flee. My siblings on my mother’s side – all eight of them - were gone. I saw my brother die in front of me. To keep us safe my parents were forced to send us away. I was seven-years-old. My journey took me to Khartoum, Cairo, and eventually to the US where I was resettled as a refugee.
On May 20, 2013 I came home for the first time after 20 years to reunite with my family. There’s nothing more important than home. When I went back to Juba something lifted in my heart and lifted off my chest. There was a freedom. Without UNHCR this would not have happened and I am thankful for that support."
About Guor
Sudanese born athlete Guor Maker has been supporting the work of UNHCR since 2012.
Almost two decades after fleeing the violence of Sudan's north-south civil war, Guor ran the marathon (under the name of Guor Marial) in the London 2012 Olympics as an independent athlete under the Olympic flag. He garnered huge respect for his perseverance and determination, and helped to focus fresh attention on his country of origin, which had gained independence as South Sudan just a year earlier.
Guor lost 28 family members during the Second Sudanese Civil War, including eight siblings, and spent much of his early life on the run. He was eventually captured and used as forced labour. In 1994, he joined relatives in the Sudan capital, Khartoum, where he remained until leaving for Egypt at the age of 14. Two years later, he went to the United States, where he was granted refugee status.
In June 2013, to mark World Refugee Day – and after nearly 20 years away – Guor returned to his village in South Sudan from his new home in Arizona. With the help of UNHCR he was reunited with his parents and other family members who had last seen him in 1993. It was an emotional homecoming and he reflected on the cost of war, including the death of siblings from treatable diseases and the suffering of his parents.
Guor hopes his remarkable journey will inspire the next generation of South Sudanese talent. As someone who has lived with the consequences of statelessness, his voice is important in raising awareness about UNHCR’s iBelong campaign to end statelessness.
Related news and stories
Spirit of a humanitarian - part one
Spirit of a humanitarian - part two
Guor Maker returns to Juba
UNHCR High Profile Supporter and South Sudanese Olympian, Guor Maker, makes an emotional return visit to his native country