The Secretary-General was saddened to learn of the death of Moktar Ould Daddah, who led Mauritania to independence and served as the country's first president from 1961 to 1978. He joins other Africans in mourning yet another of modern Africa's founding fathers –one of the continent's pioneers who through his courage and commitment propelled his people to freedom and worked for social and economic development in the post-colonial era.