The pipeline route reflects a French military logic, according to the French La Lettre du Continent. A good road will run along the pipeline, providing rapid access to French forces should France's political allies lose their grip on power. There is not going to be a solution on governance in the near future. People are desperate, but want to avoid civil war. The regime decentralizes problems, but not resources, very effectively.
Resources are to be completely controlled by the center.
That is the politics of the pipeline. Under present political circumstances, the project will do little but prop up an unpopular and corrupt regime, which even the World Bank cites for insufficient commitment to alleviating poverty. The World Bank acknowledges the risk that the oil project will contribute to civil unrest in Cameroon and especially Chad. There will be developmental impact through the construction of roads, the creation of jobs and transfer of expertise. This approach is diametrically opposed to the Bank's new professed approach to development.