The world's only nonuplets, nine babies born at the same time, have celebrated their first birthday.
26-year-old Halima Cissé, from Mali gave birth to five girls and four boys, in Morocco on Tuesday, May 4, 2021.
Speaking to BBC, their father Abdelkader Arby, an officer in the Malian army, said the nonuplets are in perfect health.
"They're all crawling now. Some are sitting up and can even walk if they hold on to something. They are still in the care of the clinic in Morocco where they were born," he said, adding that their mother Halima, was also doing well.
"It's not easy but it's great. Even if it's tiring at times, when you look at all the babies in perfect health, from right to left we're relieved. We forget everything," he told BBC Afrique.
He has just returned to Morocco for the first time in six months, along with their elder daughter, Souda, aged three.
"I'm overwhelmed to be reunited with all my family - my wife, the children and me."
They will just have a small birthday celebration with the nurses and a few people from their apartment building, Mr Arby said.
"Nothing is better than the first year. We will remember this great moment we are going to experience."
The babies broke the Guiness World Record for the most children delivered in a single birth to survive.
Multiple births are risky and mothers with more than four foetuses at a time are advised to terminate some in countries where abortion is legal.
There are also risks the babies could develop health problems due to their premature birth, such as sepsis and cerebral palsy.
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