Malema District
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Malema District is a district at the far west Nampula Province in north-eastern Mozambique.[1]: 10 It covers an area of 6,386 square kilometres (2,466 sq mi) and had a population of 128,732 as of the 1997 Mozambican census and an estimated population of 149,782 as of 2005.[1]: 10
The district is divided into three postos.[1]: 22 The eponymous posto of Malema - further divided into 4 localities: Malema (the seat), Muralelo, Nataleia, and Nioce[1]: 27 - has a population of 92,324.[1]: 22 The posto of Chihulo, with one eponymous locality[1]: 27 , has a population of 11,701.[1]: 22 The posto of Mutuali, with the sole locality [1]: 27 being Tapaca, has a population of 45,756.[1]: 22
On 2 April 2025, the government of Mozambique retook control of Mutuali from the Naparamas, a peasant militia aligned with former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane.[2] On 16 April 2025, the Mozambican police clashed again with the Naparamas in the same locality of Mutuali; they killed somewhere between 5 and 23 people, possibly including local residents.[2]
In late April 2026, a herd of elephants crossed the Lúrio River into the district, destroying at least 10 hectares of maize and pigeon pea crops across at least two villages.[3]
