The mambele is a bladed weapon used by African cultures south of Lake Chad. It consists of an iron blade with a curved back section and rearward spike. It can be used in close combat, or more typically thrown.
Also known as a hunga munga, the weapon is called danisco by the Marghi, goleyo by the Musgu, and njiga by the Bagirmi. These African iron weapons are thrown with a rotatory motion, and inflict deep wounds with their projecting blades. They vary constantly in form and their use extends across Africa from the Upper Nile on the east through Central Africa by Lake Chad to the Africans of the Gabon in West Africa. In parts of Central Africa, these weapons assume the form of a bird's head.