The Security Council decided to visit the Lake Chad region because there was a flagrant gap between the many challenges that had accumulated in that region and the international community’s response, which was both piecemeal and insufficient.

I believe this important mission offers three main lessons corresponding to the three major objectives that we had set for ourselves.

First lesson: this visit was crucial in itself, not only to shine a spotlight on the situation in the Lake Chad region, but also to make it a real, long-term priority for the international community. Indeed, the Lake Chad region, which has always been a priority for France, has not received the attention it deserves from the international community. This visit will help rectify that mistake, which was an injustice.