Júlio Sarmento da Costa (20 July 1959 – 24 May 2024), also known by his nom de guerre Meta Mali, was an East Timorese politician and a member of the Democratic Party (PD).

[2] In any case, he would have had to forego any such seat, as on 8 August 2012 he was sworn in as Secretary of State for the Combatants for National Liberation Affairs in the V Constitutional Government, headed by Xanana Gusmão.

[10][11][12] Soon after taking that office, Costa announced that his ministry would be distributing a survey in communities across the country, to collect data on those who had died during East Timor's war of liberation.

[15]He went on to observe that the government through the Ministry of Health was therefore forced to spend a lot of money to pay for aeroplanes, hospital fees and accommodation costs for the safety of its people.

[15] In September 2022, while giving a speech at the inauguration of a monument in the village of Leolima, Hato-Udo, Ainaro municipality, Costa commented as follows about young persons who participate in East Timorese ritual arts groups [de] [translation]: "I believe that all young people can follow the various martial arts but at the same time you should also take part in unifying activity to create a memory for us in the future.