Halima Cissé

Cissé was born in Timbuktu, Mali.^[2] Prior to the birth of her nonuplets, she had one daughter named Sauda,^[3] with her husband, Adjudant Kader Arby, an army officer.^[4][5] In 2021, she was a student.^[6]

When she was 25 years old, doctors believed that Cissé was pregnant with seven fetuses.^[5][2] On 30 March 2021,^[1] interim president Bah Ndaw^[5] instructed the Government of Mali to transport Cissé to Casablanca, Morocco, in order to give birth. This was not a result of fertility treatments.^[4]

On 4 May 2021, her nonuplets were born prematurely at 30 weeks, by caesarean section and weighed between 500g and 1kg.^[2] The birth date had been postponed as late as possible to increase the chance of the babies surviving.^[6] The children were cared for in the Ain Borja clinic in Casablanca.^[7] Cissé was also provided with medical care for one month and required surgery after the birth.^[6]

Her children are four boys named Muhammad, Bah, El Hadj and Oumar, and five girls named Adama, Hawa, Fatouma, Oumou, and Kadidia; they were all in "perfect health" as of their first birthday.^[4][6] According to the parents and medical staff, the nine babies were conceived naturally, unlike, e.g., the Suleman octuplets (who were conceived by IVF).^[6]

• List of multiple births
• Nadya Suleman, mother of the first surviving octuplets