Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has landed in Khartoum, unhindered by South African authorities, despite a high court order preventing his departure.
Mr Bashir, prevented from leaving South Africa on Sunday due to the charges of war crimes and genocide he faces at the International Criminal Court.
An ICC official said the failure to arrest the president was "disappointing".
South Africa’s high court meanwhile ordered President Bashir’s arrest, as judge Dunstan Mlambo, said the failure to arrest him had violated the court’s order and the country's constitution, demanding an explanation from the South African government.
United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, also voiced his disappointment on Monday, saying that the International Criminal Court’s warrant must be respected by countries that have agreed to its statutes.
“The International Criminal Court’s warrant for the arrest of President al-Bashir on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes is a matter I take extremely seriously,” he said at the opening of the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva.
Arrest war crimes accused Sudanese president - TAG (15 June 2015)
ICC urges South Africa to arrest Sudan's President Bashir (14 June 2015)