Brahim was touted as a possible successor to his father, but was widely disliked even by some of his own family who saw him as unfit to rule. He was sacked by his father in 2006 as adviser to the presidency after he was arrested in Paris for possession of illegal firearm and drugs. On May 24, 2006, Brahim was arrested outside a Paris discotheque after a brawl. During the fight, an unlicensed semi-automatic pistol fell from his pocket. Police later searched his house and found 375 grams of marijuana. On June 3, 2006, Brahim Déby was given a six-month suspended sentence for drugs and firearms possession

In Chad, a presidential spokesman said the Chadian leader was aware of the death of his son but was in Ghana at the time of the murder for the African Union summit. Chad shares border with war-torn Darfur region of Sudan. Conflict from the region has spilled over into eastern Chad. Chad also has its own internal conflicts which have intensified since it began exporting oil several years ago. Rebels are challenging Idriss Déby's rule who describe his third term re-election in 2006 as rigged.

Power has never changed hands through the ballot box in Chad. Idriss Déby tookover power in a coup in 1990, which brought peace in the country after three decades of civil war and an invasion by Libya. Peace is eluding Chad in recent times as rebellion is mounting and Déby increasingly isolated. A coalition of rebel forces has been engaged in guerilla war against Idriss Deby's government forces. They accuse him of running a clan-based government.

Makaila Nguebla, a Dakar-based spokesman for the rebel Union of Forces for Democracy and Development (UFDD), said Brahim Deby was a key source of resentment that drove members of the president's cabinet against him. "He is at the root of all the frustration. He used to slap government ministers. Senior Chadian officials were humiliated by Deby's son," Nguebla told reporters."They had to leave the regime, go into the bush. They chose the military option instead of being humiliated inside Chad," he added.

Photo Above: Chadian President Idriss Deby