Saudi Arabia begins the separation of Moroccan twin “Saja and Wadha”

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On Thursday morning, a Saudi medical and surgical team began the process of separating 13-month-old Moroccan conjoined twins, Saja and Wadha, at King Abdullah Specialist Hospital for Children in Riyadh, with the participation of 23 specialists, in a delicate operation that takes about 10 hours, with an expected success rate of more than 70%.

The operation is being carried out in implementation of the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, within the Saudi Program for Conjoined Twins, which is conducting the 73rd separation operation in its history.

The head of the medical and surgical team, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabiah, explained that the twins arrived in Saudi Arabia on April 24, 2026, and underwent careful medical examinations and multiple evaluation meetings, which showed their attachment in the chest and abdomen regions, and their involvement in the membranes of the heart, liver, and intestines.

The examinations also revealed the presence of a congenital problem in the larynx in one of the two girls, which required a medical endoscopy to treat it before the separation process.

Al-Rabiah explained that the process includes 6 stages that take about 10 hours, and 23 consultants, specialists, and nursing and technical staff, from the specialties of anesthesia, pediatric surgery, plastic surgery, and supporting specialties, participate.

He pointed out that the operation is considered a delicate surgical operation, and its expected success rate exceeds 70%, according to the team’s medical evaluation.

The operation to separate “Saja and Duha” is the fourth operation for conjoined twins from Morocco within the Saudi program for conjoined twins, and the 73rd operation in its career.

Since the launch of the program in 1990, Saudi Arabia has provided medical care to 159 conjoined twins from 28 countries spread over 5 continents.

Al-Rabiah stressed that the continuous support the program receives from the Saudi leadership has contributed to the continuation of its humanitarian and medical work, expressing his hope that the operation will be successful and that the two girls will enjoy health and well-being.