On 4 October 1992, the day of St. Francis, Mozambique received the gift of peace after 16 years of civil war, with the signing of the General Peace Agreement signed in Rome thanks to the mediation of the Community of Sant'Egidio, which hosted negotiations for 27 months.

The anniversary of this year, the 22nd, came at a difficult time for the world and after so many tensions experienced in the country, which is preparing for the upcoming presidential elections on 15 October. There are many wars that stain the planet with blood, and Mozambique has just emerged from a period of political and military crisis that has caused destruction and death, especially in the centre of the country. The Community of Sant'Egidio has continued its commitment to peace: at the end of August, the meeting of mons. Matthew Zuppi in the forest of Gorongosa with the leader of Renamo was decisive in removing obstacles to the ratification of the agreement which has later put an end to this period of renewed fighting. 

Also this year the celebrations of 4 October were prepared from conferences and meetings in schools, neighbourhoods and universities in many cities around the country, including Maputo, Beira, Pemba, Quelimane, Inhambane and Gurue. These meetings were an opportunity to recall to many, especially to young people, the history of the process that led to peace in Mozambique and to emphasize the importance of a gift that has been received and can not be dispelled. During these events Sant'Egidio posted a message, in which it recalls that the Community lives the commitment to peace as its special charisma: "it is a place where you live peace, where you listen and look for an answer to the need for dignity of the poor, where they grow the dream of a more just and more humane society for all".And they remembered the words of the Pope addressed to the religious leaders gathered in Antwerp a month ago: "The war is never necessary nor inevitable. You can always find an alternative: it is the path of dialogue, encounter and sincere search for the truth".

The legacy of peace is a blessing for Mozambique, and commits all to safeguard it and not fall into the spiral of violence of which one easily becomes a victim.