The Malian mother who gave birth to nine babies last year in Morocco has returned home on Tuesday with her Nonuplets, Health Minister Dieminatou Sangare told AFP.

“Joy and satisfaction to see them in good health. The mother and babies are doing well and have arrived safe and sound in Mali,” she said in a message.
The two parents and their nine children were welcomed by Sangare in the capital city of Bamako, as seen in photos posted on her Facebook page.
Five girls and four boys were born in Casablanca in May 2021 to Halima Cisse, a young mother from the northern city of Timbuktu.

The government of Mali transported her to the city’s Ain Borja facility, which had better resources to handle numerous pregnancies than the impoverished Sahel state.
Given the significant danger of having a baby that is born very prematurely, doctors were concerned about the pregnant woman’s health as well as the prospects of survival for the Nonuplets.

She was 25 weeks pregnant when admitted and medical staff managed to extend her term to 30 weeks.
The Nonuplets were all delivered safe and sound by Caesarean section, using a team of 10 doctors assisted by 25 paramedics.
They each weighed between 500 grams and one kilogram (1.1 and 2.2 pounds) but needed to stay in Morocco to benefit from specialist care.
The verified world record for the most living births is eight, born to an American woman, Nadya Suleman, nicknamed “Octomum”, in 2009 when she was 33.

“This is a first. It’s a source of pride for us,” Sangare said.
She said “the state honoured its commitments” in helping Cisse and expressed her thanks to the Moroccan medical team.