Malian Mother Halima Cissé’s Nine Children Make History as All Nonuplets Survive to Age Five

Malian mother Halima Cissé and her nine children have achieved a remarkable milestone, five years after she gave birth to the world’s first known surviving nonuplets in Casablanca, Morocco.

Born on May 4, 2021, the nine children—five girls and four boys—have all survived and reached their fifth birthday, earning recognition from Guinness World Records.

The children were born at around 30 weeks of pregnancy by Caesarean section at the Ain Borja Clinic in Casablanca. They weighed between approximately 500 grams and one kilogram at birth and immediately required intensive neonatal care.

The five girls are Adama, Oumou, Hawa, Kadidia and Fatouma, while the four boys are Mohammed VI, Elhadji, Oumar and Bah.

Doctors in Mali had initially believed Cissé was carrying seven babies. However, after the Malian government arranged her transfer to Morocco for specialist treatment, doctors discovered that she was carrying nine babies.

The children spent their first 19 months in Morocco, receiving medical and nursing care before returning to Mali with their parents in December 2022.

Guinness World Records says the Cissé siblings represent the first known case of nine babies from a single pregnancy surviving birth. Their achievement surpassed the previous record associated with the eight surviving babies born to American mother Nadya Suleman in 2009.

Earlier nonuplet births had ended tragically. In 1971, Australian woman Geraldine Brodrick gave birth to nine babies in Sydney, but none survived beyond six days. Another case was reported in Malaysia in 1999, when Zurina Mat Saad gave birth to nine babies, none of whom survived for more than a few hours.

The Cissé children’s survival is therefore considered particularly significant because they were extremely premature and had very low birth weights.

Guinness World Records confirmed in May 2026 that all nine children had reached the age of five and were healthy, active and preparing to start school.

Their survival has also highlighted the importance of specialist neonatal care and cooperation between Mali and Morocco. A medical team led by paediatric neonatologist Khalil Msaif provided care for the babies during their prolonged stay in Morocco.

Five years after their historic birth, the nine siblings are no longer fragile premature babies fighting for survival. They are now growing children preparing to begin school together.

Guinness World Records continues to recognise the Cissé siblings under the title “most children delivered at a single birth to survive.”