# Fijian Conjoined Twins Separated in Saudi Arabia, 74th Operation by Program

> Fijian conjoined twins Jasepeli and Desicia were successfully separated on October 15, 2026, at King Abdullah Specialized Children's Hospital, marking the 74th separation under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program.

By PrimaryBrief newsroom · Published 2026-10-17T13:15:42.639718Z
Canonical: https://primarybrief.com/article/fijian-conjoined-twins-separated-in-saudi-arabia-74th-operation-by-program-3cf0d4f9

Fijian conjoined twins Jasepeli and Desicia were successfully separated on October 15, 2026, at King Abdullah Specialized Children's Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marking the 74th separation performed under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program [1]. The successful surgery offers a new life for the 13-month-old sisters, whose parents faced a medical cost exceeding US$1 million that they could not afford, with the Saudi government covering all expenses [15][16].

## What the records show
Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah led the surgical team for the complex operation, which took place at King Abdullah Specialized Children's Hospital [1]. Al-Rabeeah has headed the Surgical and Multidisciplinary Team for the Saudi National Conjoined Twins Programme since at least 1992 [11]. This program, initiated in 1990, provides specialized medical care to conjoined twins from various countries, regardless of their background [2][5]. The Saudi government fully covered the medical treatment, travel, and accommodation for Jasepeli and Desicia and their family [15][16]. Since its inception, the program has evaluated over 150 cases from more than 25 countries and successfully performed dozens of separation surgeries [6]. In early 2025, reports indicated that the program had successfully separated 61 pairs of conjoined twins from 21 countries and evaluated 146 cases from 27 countries [3]. As of March 2026, Dr. Al Rabeeah's program was credited with 67 successful cases from 28 countries [13]. The separation of Jasepeli and Desicia represents the 74th successful operation [1].

## The timeline
Jasepeli and Desicia were born in September 2025 at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva, Fiji [15]. They were part of a rare set of triplets, with their third sister, Hossana, not being conjoined [17]. The twins were joined at the chest, abdomen, and pelvis, indicating a complex case [16]. Their parents initially sought specialized treatment overseas, but the estimated cost, exceeding US$1 million, was beyond their financial capacity [15][16]. After acceptance into the Saudi Conjoined Twins Programme, the family traveled to Riyadh [16]. The operation to separate the twins occurred on October 15, 2026 [1].

## What changed and for whom
Following the successful separation, the twins were reportedly given new Arabic names: Noura for Jasepeli, also referred to as Jesipeli, and Sarah for Desicia, also referred to as Di Cecea [4][17]. Their parents chose these names [17]. The family expressed deep gratitude to King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the Saudi medical team for the advanced care and the opportunity provided to their daughters [4][9]. The twins' mother, Akeneta Tacaqe, acknowledged the difficult decision to proceed with the surgery, especially given earlier advice from Fijian doctors about a potential "50-50 survival outcome" for the twins [7][16][17]. Their journey to recovery and reconstructive surgery will continue to be monitored [17].

## What the subject has said publicly
The family of the Fijian twins publicly thanked King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the Saudi medical team for the medical care provided [9][14]. They also praised the Saudi medical team's efforts for the operation's success and the twins' safety [9][14]. Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, who leads the Saudi Conjoined Twins Programme, expressed gratitude to the Saudi leadership for supporting the humanitarian initiative [16]. The program, which covers all expenses for accepted families, offers hope and establishes Saudi Arabia's leadership in complex medical cases [6][8].

## What we could not confirm
The specific number of hours the separation surgery for Jasepeli and Desicia lasted was reported as nearly 13 hours by one source and 12 hours by others [4][14][18]. The exact duration was not consistently stated. The twins' original names are spelled as Jasepeli and Desicia in some sources, while others use Jesipeli and Di Cecea, or Jesipeli and Dicecea [1][4][16][17].

## Evidence cited
1. Fijian conjoined twins successfully separated in 'exceptionally rare' case (www.abc.net.au) — https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-16/surgery-separates-fijian-conjoined-twins-in-saudi-arabia/107271702
2. A transformative moment in Saudi medical history unfolded in 1990, against the backdrop of the Second Gulf War. The plight of Sudanese conjoined twins Samah and Heba reached the Saudi leadership, parking a chain of events that would reshape pediatric surgery in the. Kingdom. Rather than seeking treatment abroad, the leadership made a bold decision to entrust the unprecedented challenge to Dr. Al Rabeeah's team at King Faisal Specialist. Hospital. After months of meticulous preparation, the surgi (ksrelief.org) — https://ksrelief.org/
3. (January 23 2025) For decades, Saudi Arabia has demonstrated its commitment to advancing global health through innovation and collaboration. One shining example of this dedication is the Saudi Conjoined Twins Programme, a beacon of medical excellence and humanitarian outreach that continues to redefine the boundaries of surgical medicine and compassionate care (Fig. 1). Fig. 1. Fig. 1 · Open in a new tab. XXX. Since its inception in 1990, the Saudi Conjoined Twins Programme, led under the patron (nih.gov) — https://nih.gov/
4. (October 16 2026) Fijian conjoined twins separated at Riyadh hospital after nearly 13-hour operation (arabnews.com) — https://arabnews.com/
5. Saudi Arabia Leads the World in Successful Separation of Conjoined Twins (allocationassist.com) — https://allocationassist.com/
6. The Saudi Conjoined Twins Program - KSrelief (instagram.com) — https://instagram.com/
7. (October 15 2026) Complex surgery successfully separates Fijian conjoined twins (ground.news) — https://ground.news/
8. (October 16 2026) Saudi surgeons successfully separate Fijian conjoined twins (gdnonline.com) — https://gdnonline.com/
9. Saudi Medical Team Starts Separation Surgery for Fijian Conjoined Twins (spa.gov.sa) — https://spa.gov.sa/
10. Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah: A Legacy of Humanitarian Care (drsmag.com) — https://drsmag.com/
11. Abdullah Al Rabeeah - Wikipedia (wikipedia.org) — https://wikipedia.org/
12. Abdullah al-Rabeeah - Saudipedia (saudipedia.com) — https://saudipedia.com/
13. Abdullah Al Rabeeah: Surgeon who turned Saudi Arabia into global hub for conjoined twins surgery (indiatimes.com) — https://indiatimes.com/
14. (October 15 2026) Fijian conjoined twins successfully separated after 12-hour surgery - Latest News from Saudi Arabia and the World. (saudigazette.com.sa) — https://saudigazette.com.sa/
15. (October 15 2026) Fijian conjoined twins successfully separated in Saudi Arabia  (fijitimes.com.fj) — https://fijitimes.com.fj/
16. (October 15 2026) The sisters, who are from Nausori, were born as part of an extremely rare set of triplets. They are joined at the chest, abdomen and pelvis, making their condition particularly complex. Their case is one of only two publicly recorded cases of conjoined twins in Fiji over the past 50 years. Dr Abdullah Al Rabeeah, who heads the Saudi Conjoined Twins Programme, has expressed gratitude to the Saudi leadership for supporting the humanitarian initiative, which provides specialised m (fijivillage.com) — https://fijivillage.com/
17. (October 16 2026) Fijian conjoined twins successfully separated in Saudi Arabia (fijisun.com.fj) — https://fijisun.com.fj/
18. (October 15 2026) Fijian Conjoined Twins Separated in 12‑Hour Saudi Surgery (saudiflash.com) — https://saudiflash.com/
19. (July 28 2026) The twins, who were born 10 months ago at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva alongside their singleton sister, Hossana, have overcome significant challenges since birth and are now preparing for the life-changing procedure. The operation has been made possible through the strong bilateral relationship between the Governments of Fiji and Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Government is fully funding the family's travel, accommodation and the multi-million-dollar surgery on humanitaria (fijionenews.com.fj) — https://fijionenews.com.fj/
20. (October 15 2026) The successful separation of Noura and Sara, conjoined twins from Fiji, was announced amid emotional celebrations from their parents, who applauded the outcome of the surgery as the mother wept with joy at the completion of the procedure. The operation was carried out under the directives of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. View the post on X. Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, supervisor general of the King Salman H (ajel.sa) — https://ajel.sa/
21. (October 15 2026) Doctors in Saudi Arabia say a complex operation to separate 13-month-old Fijian conjoined twins has been successful. (nzcity.co.nz) — https://nzcity.co.nz/
22. (October 15 2026) There, where the precision of medicine intersects with the feelings of the parents, the journey of separating the two girls began, who were known to the world as “Jesbeli and Desia,” before they bore two new names chosen by their parents in appreciation of the care and attention they found in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, “Noura and Sarah.” (newsfrontx.com) — https://newsfrontx.com/
23. (October 15 2026) Tears of relief have replaced months of fear for the parents of Fijian conjoined twins Jesipeli and Di Cecea Kikau, after the sisters were successfully separated in Riyadh, despite doctors in Fiji warning that the operation carried a 50-50 chance of survival. Their mother, Akeneta Tacaqe, told Al Ar... #FijianTwins. ... Parents in tears as Fijian conjoined twins successfully separated despite 50-50 survival ... Tears of relief have replaced months of fear for ... (facebook.com) — https://facebook.com/
24. (October 15 2026) Al Arabiya English goes behind the scenes at King Abdullah Specialist Children's Hospital in Riyadh as Saudi surgeons undertake a complex 15-hour operation to separate conjoined twins from Fiji. #SaudiArabia #ConjoinedTwins #Fiji #Riyadh #SaudiHealthcare #MedicalSurgery #AlArabiyaEnglish. (youtube.com) — https://youtube.com/