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Wanted Sudan leader Bashir flies out of South Africa | |
(35 minutes later) | |
Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted for war crimes, has left South Africa, pre-empting a court ruling over an international warrant for his arrest. | |
The Pretoria High Court was due to decide whether he should be handed over to the International Criminal Court which charged him with the crimes. | |
Mr Bashir was in Johannesburg for an African Union (AU) summit. | |
A news conference will be held in Sudan's capital upon his arrival. | |
On Sunday, a judge barred Mr Bashir from leaving until the arrest application had been considered. | |
Mr Bashir is accused of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide during the Darfur conflict. | |
The UN says that about 300,000 people in Sudan have died and more than two million have fled their homes since fighting began in 2003. | |
Government forces and allied Arab militias are accused of targeting black African civilians in the fight against the rebels. | |
At the hearing at the Pretoria High Court, the lawyer representing the South African government says Mr Bashir's name was not on the list of passengers who took off earlier. | |
Bashir ruling live | |
Rise of Omar al-Bashir | |
On Monday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the ICC's warrant for the arrest of Mr Bashir must be implemented by countries who have signed up to the court's statutes. | |
As a member of the ICC, South Africa is obliged to arrest anyone charged by the court. Before the summit, the ICC issued a press statement urging the South African government "to spare no effort in ensuring the execution of the arrest warrant". | |
Darfur conflict: Key points |