When Malian couple Halima Cissé and Abdelkader Arby found out they were expecting not one, not two, but seven babies, the news stunned them — and the world. But what happened next made history: Halima gave birth to nine babies, and all of them survived. The nonuplets achieved a Guinness World Record for the most children delivered at a single birth to survive.
The family spent the first 19 months of the babies’ lives in Morocco, where they received highly specialized neonatal care before returning home to Mali. Now, four years later, Les Nonuplés are not just surviving — they’re thriving. As they celebrate their fourth birthday, the world is once again watching in awe.
Meet Les Nonuplés, nine babies that made history as the first known case of surviving nonuplets
Back in 2021, Halima was rushed to a hospital in Morocco for a high-risk delivery
The couple had been told they were expecting septuplets… until doctors discovered two more babies in the maternity ward
Born at just 30 weeks, each baby weighed less than 500 grams — a little over a pound
Their survival odds were incredibly slim, but they fought through months in intensive neonatal care
Their names? Kadidia, Fatouma, Hawa, Adama, Oumou, Mohammed VI, Oumar, Elhadji, and Bah — five girls and four boys, each one growing into their own personality
Fast-forward to May 2025, and the little ones have already turned four years old! They’re energetic, playful, and already showing signs of who they’re becoming
