International audience “Archaeology of the Lake Regions of Chad” (ArRéLat) is a Franco-Chadian research and education project. It is designed to develop archaeological research in Chad, by relaunching fieldwork and contributing to the training of a new generation of Chadian archaeologists. The project is linked to a 2013-2017 development program called “Large Chadian Lake Ecosystems” (GELT). Priority is thus given to lake regions during field research. The approach is diachronic (from the Palaeolithic to the medieval period) and multidisciplinary (study of material culture, geoarchaeology, zooarchaeology). The particular context of the lakes ecosystems offers the advantage of being an attractive region for human populations throughout their history. Furthermore, they can provide palaeoclimatic and paleoenvironmental records. The Ounianga Lakes region in the northern part of the country was identified through the work of our predecessors as that with the highest archaeological potential. An initial exploratory mission of field surveys and test pits was conducted from November 22 to December 21 2015. This allowed evaluation or identification of 40 archaeological sites, including 32 previously unknown. We collected 1,885 archaeological samples, including 1,364 lithics, 423 ceramic sherds, 88 faunal remains and 10 assorted items (adornment, bracelets and beads). The most promising avenues of research are the excavation of an Acheulean workshop site, the dating and the description of the Middle Stone Age industries, probably Aterian, as well as the investigation of sites with many excavated food storage structures for which the chronology has not yet been established.