Meet the world's only surviving nonuplets as they celebrate 5th birthday

Guinness World Records (GWR) has shared a video that has gone viral on social media, featuring the world’s only surviving set of nonuplets.

In a post shared on X on May 4 and sighted by GhanaWeb, the nine children, four boys and five girls, who were born on May 4, 2021, were seen celebrating their fifth birthday.

The children, identified as Mohammed VI, Elhadji, Oumar, and Bah, and the girls Kadidia, Fatouma, Hawa, Adama, and Oumou, hold the record for the most children delivered at a single birth to survive. In the video, they appeared happy and healthy.

According to their parents, Halima Cissé (mother) and Abdelkader Arby (father), the children are now preparing to start school.

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Halima, 30, in an interview with GWR, expressed her joy at seeing her nine children bond as they grow.

“The children get along very well with each other and with their big sister. They share a strong bond and spend most of their time playing together. Like all siblings, they sometimes have small disagreements, but they are very united and caring towards one another.

“Each child has a unique personality. Some are more energetic and expressive, while others are calmer and more observant. It is wonderful to see how different they are, yet how connected they remain,” she said.

Background

The Malian nonuplets were born on May 4, 2021, in Morocco and spent 19 months there before finally returning home.

Initially, doctors believed Halima was carrying seven babies. However, after she and Abdelkader were flown to Morocco for specialised care, it was discovered that she was pregnant with nine babies.

The five girls and four boys were born prematurely via Caesarean section at 30 weeks’ gestation, compared to the typical 40-week pregnancy.

At birth, each baby weighed between 0.5 and 1 kilogram (1.1 to 2.2 pounds).

Watch the video below:

Happy birthday to the Cisse nonuplets, who turn five today! 🥳

On 4 May 2021, nine children were born to Halima Cisse (Mali) in the Ain Borja clinic in Casablanca, Morocco. This is the first known incidence of nonpulets surviving birth. pic.twitter.com/qIDwCyjoNE

— Guinness World Records (@GWR) May 4, 2026