Centrum Stosunków Międzynarodowych - 17 March 2016: U.S. government declares IS atrocities against minorities a genocide

After the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution on the 14th of March, the U.S. government has labelled the IS atrocities against minorities as a genocide, acknowledging the fact and recognizing that serious war crimes have been committed by the terrorist organization. During a news conference on the 17th of March, Secretary of State John Kerry declared IS to be responsible for mass genocide against groups in areas under its control including Yazidis, Christians and Shiite Muslims. This is the first time that the U.S. has declared genocide since the Darfur atrocities in 2004. The move is aimed at putting pressure on the Obama administration to take more aggressive military action against IS and could additionally give weight to calls by lawmakers and humanitarian groups to welcome more refugees into the country.