MAURITANIA’S first president, Moktar Ould Daddah, on Tuesday returned home looking tired and weak after 23 years of exile in France. Daddah, the northwest African country’s first leader after independence from France in 1960, arrived in the capital Nouakchott on an Air France flight from Paris. The 77-year-old, who needed assistance walking from the aircraft, was accompanied by his French-born wife and two of their children. He said nothing to waiting reporters as he left by car for his newly-restored residence in central Nouakchott. Many family members and some supporters showed up to welcome Daddah but there was no sign of an official delegation to receive the man who was president for nearly 18 years. – Reuters