On the 17th July of 1998, the Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries adopted in Rome the Statute of the International Criminal Court. When the delegates rise and applaud the realization of a half-of-a- century old project, the participating ONG representatives could be proud : without the restless work of the civil society during several years, the ICC could also have been created, but its structure and jurisdiction wouldn’t have been the same. The new permanent court promised to be different from its predecessors in many aspects. It wouldn’t only be the instrument of the “international community”, often associated with the western countries, or even with the former colonial powers, but a forum where numerous victims of mass crimes and affected communities could find justice and redress. One of the most important achievements was indeed the possibility for victims to participate in the procedure and obtain reparations. Twelve years later and six years after the start of the first case, it victims seem have conquered their place in the courtroom, their legal representatives have an influence on the proceedings, but their communities are still waiting for the expectations created by the ICC being fulfilled.