Shiraaz Mohamed / AP

Al-Bashir has been indicted for genocide and war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his hand in the conflict in Darfur, in western Sudan.

The African Union (AU) had promised not to arrest any of the presidents who attended, but a South African court said the South African government was legally required to arrest him. By the time the court came to that decision, he'd already flown back home, even though there'd been a court order blocking his departure.

Al-Bashir would have been the first sitting president arrested for ICC charges.