Fijian Conjoined Twins Separated in Free, Nearly 13-Hour Riyadh Surgery

Surgeons in Riyadh have separated 13-month-old conjoined twin sisters from Fiji in an operation that lasted 12 hours and 45 minutes on October 15, 2026. The surgery was carried out free of charge under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program.¹²

Doctors declared the separation successful, and the ABC described the case as exceptionally rare. That verdict comes from the program’s own announcement and from the surgical lead himself. After the girls were separated, doctors moved on to reconstruction, and reports have not yet described how the twins are recovering.¹

For the family, the free operation gives two small girls a chance to live as individuals.

Two sisters, many shared organs

The sisters, Jesepeli and Dicecea Kikau, were born joined at the lower abdomen and pelvis, a form of conjoined twinning doctors call omphalo-ischiopagus tetrapus. Each girl had her own heart and lungs.¹

Much of the rest was shared. According to the Saudi program, the twins shared a liver, intestines, colon, anus, urinary system, reproductive system and pelvic bone.²³ The operation separated the liver, bowel, urinary tract and anal canal over nine stages.¹

Before surgery, the team put the chance of success at about 70 percent. Early reports had estimated the operation would take 15 hours.³⁵

The surgery took place at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in King Abdulaziz Medical City. It was led by Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, Supervisor General of KSrelief and head of the program’s surgical team.¹² The team included 34 consultants, specialists, technicians and nurses from anesthesiology, pediatric, plastic and orthopedic surgery, urology and supporting fields.²

Three hours into the operation, Al Rabeeah told the ABC it was going “Better than our expectation, and the two girls are doing well so far in spite of the complexity of surgery.”¹

A long road from Fiji

The twins were born eight weeks premature as part of a set of triplets. Their sister, Hossana, is not conjoined. The Fijian government said the girls are the second recorded conjoined case in Fiji in 50 years.¹

The Fijian government also said the family turned to Saudi Arabia after hospitals in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Mexico asked for large up-front payments. It called the free offer a lifeline.¹

The twins arrived in Saudi Arabia on July 21, 2026, and doctors spent the following months assessing them before surgery.¹³

Before the operation, their parents, Akeneta and Watisoni Vulimaiigiladi, gave the girls Arabic names: Noorah for Jesepeli and Sarah for Dicecea. Akeneta watched the surgery by video link.¹

“We just kissed them goodbye and we wished our babies well,” she told the ABC.¹

The family thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the care the girls received.⁴

The Saudi program behind the surgery

The sisters are the 74th set of conjoined twins the program has separated and the first from Fiji.¹² The program says it has assessed 159 sets of conjoined twins from 28 countries since 1990.²³