Sudan's President Evades Arrest In South Africa

05:08

June 15, 2015

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir looks on in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on March 23, 2015. Al-Bashir is to attend a meeting between Ethiopian Prime Minister Halemariam Desalegn and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, to sign an agreement on the sharing of Nile waters and Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam. (Ebrahim Hamid/AFP/Getty Images)

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir is expected back in his country after evading arrest earlier today in South Africa.

Al-Bashir was in the country for a meeting of African Union leaders when he was ordered to stay over charges from the International Criminal Court related to genocide and atrocities committed in Sudan’s Darfur region.

NPR’s Africa Correspondent Ofeibea Quist-Arcston joins Here & Now's Lisa Mullins from Johannesburg to explain what happened and why South Africa played a central role.

Guest

Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, international correspondent for NPR, based in Dakar, Senegal. She tweets @ofeibeaq.

This segment aired on June 15, 2015.