London: World leaders have proved "shameful and ineffective" in failing to protect civilians from groups like Islamic State (IS), Amnesty International said Wednesday, calling 2014 a "catastrophic" year.

In its 415-page annual report detailing abuses in 160 countries, the group accused governments of "pretending the protection of civilians is beyond their power."

Here displaced people from the Yazidi sect flee the Islamic State in Sinjar, Iraq. Amnesty has accused governments of "pretending the protection of civilians is beyond their power." Credit:Reuters

It said millions of civilians had been killed from Syria to Ukraine, Gaza to Nigeria, while the number of displaced people around the world exceeded 50 million last year for the first time since the end of World War II.

"2014 was a catastrophic year for millions caught up in violence," said Amnesty's secretary general, Shalil Shetty.