Proud husband of nonuplets says he “can't wait to see my gifts from God”

Halma Cisse Arby, a 25-year-old Malian woman, gave birth to nine children at the same time on May 5 in the African country Morocco, with five sons and four daughters.

If all of Halima Sisi's children survive, she will be able to set a new record and become the first woman in the world to have nine children survived—born at the same time.

Before that, only 8 children born to American woman Nadia Suleiman in 2009 are alive.

Halma Cisse is still being treated at the hospital and her children are receiving intensive care.

At present, the 25-year-old Malian is among only a handful of women to have given birth to nonuplets, five girls and four boys, two more than originally anticipated.

Should all survive the next few critical months, as medical staff at the clinic in Casablanca hope, she will enter the record books.

The birth presented Mali’s beleaguered transitional government, in power since a coup during the summer of last year, with both challenge and opportunity.

On the other hand, Halma Cisse’s husband Kader Arby, 35, has also come forward and called the birth of their nine children a gift from God and at the same time said that he is eager to meet the children.

Speaking to an international news outlet, 'I have been in constant touch with my wife, but I had to stay at our home in Mali to look after our other little daughter, who is just two years and five months.'

'Travel is of course difficult because of the pandemic, but we are arranging a trip for next week,' Mr Arby added.

'It will be a very joyful, and we will be thanking God the whole time. Our children are gifts from God.' 

Asked if he or his wife had chosen the names of their nonuplets – five girls and four boys delivered by caesarean section – Mr Arby laughed and said: 'We will see!'

The multiple births have captured the imagination of everyone in the West African nation, as well as millions of others around the world.

Halma's pregnancy became a subject of fascination in Mali - even when it was thought she was only carrying septuplets.

Kadir Arabi told that he married Halma in 2017 and their first child was born a year after the marriage.