Monday’s development came despite an interim order issued by the high court in Pretoria barring him from leaving South Africa, pending an application from civil society organisations calling for his arrest on the ICC warrant.
Speaking in Khartoum, Ibrahim Ghandour, Sudan’s foreign minister, said “the drama” was created “by the enemies of Sudan” to prevent the president from taking part in the African Union summit in Johannesburg.
“We knew that this was nothing but a media funfair. … We are a sovereign state. The president is elected by the people of Sudan,” Ghandour said.
He said the ICC charges were “lame and meaningless”.
In the hours leading up to Bashir’s departure, the Pretoria court had been expected to decide whether to send him to the ICC.
South African Judge Dunstan Mlambo criticised the government for allowing Bashir to depart earlier in the day despite its obligation as a signatory of the ICC.
“The conduct of the respondents to the extent that they have failed to take steps to arrest and detain the President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir is inconsistent with the constitution of the Republic of South Africa,” Mlambo said.
The South African state broadcaster SABC reported at about 10:15 GMT on Monday that Bashir’s jet had flown out of the Waterkloof air force base, on the outskirts of Pretoria.
However, a lawyer appearing on behalf of the South African government told the Pretoria court that Bashir was not on the aircraft’s list of passengers.
Al Jazeera’s Fahmida Miller, reporting from Johannesburg, said that Bashir’s plane had been moved to the air force base late on Sunday night.
She said since defence forces were not a party to the court case, it was thought that Bashir would be able to fly from the airbase unobstructed.
Bashir is accused of war crimes for repressing an armed uprising in the Sudanese region of Darfur.
The ICC issued the arrest warrant in 2009, but Bashir denies the charges.
Ban Ki-moon, UN secretary-general, said in Geneva on Monday that the authority of the ICC must be respected and its decision implemented.
Before the South African court ruling was announced on Sunday, the judge said the court would decide whether a South African government cabinet decision to host Bashir would trump the ICC arrest warrant.
By Al Jazeera