* Spoof on Chadian army is local TV hit

* Actor says will continue despite death threats

* Oil wealth has hurt governance - report

By Moumine Ngarmbassa

N'DJAMENA, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Brandishing a radio in one hand and a baton in the other, "Commandant Alkanto" barks abuse in a mix of crude French and local Arabic dialects at a rag-tag bunch Chadian soldiers on parade in the baking sun.

In another film clip, Alkanto is roused from his nap under an acacia tree to deal with a group of village elders whom he literally kicks into army prison with his trademark gammy leg.

The result is an unlikely local hit -- a series of comedy films about the shortcomings of the military in Chad, a poor central African state accused of frittering away its oil wealth on the army rather than bettering the lives of its population.

"I received threats from the military but that encouraged me to continue," Haikal Zakaria, the bank manager-turned actor who created and plays Alkanto, told Reuters in an interview.

"Chadians welcome the work of Alkanto. They appreciate the message that he puts across in his sketches," he added.

In the hit film "Brigade Mobile" Zakaria pokes fun at military units who are meant to control customs and prevent smuggling but in fact do little but harass citizens.

His character Alkanto is a proud but illiterate officer who, when not castigating soldiers for shoddy uniforms, is telling them to stand ready to fight to defend the "dishcloth" -- a term he uses for Chad's national flag.

The message is an indictment of the state of the military in Chad. Having come to power in a coup and a wave of optimism in 1990, President Idriss Deby's time in power has been marked by flawed elections, coup attempts and eastern rebellions.

"He is mocking not only the army but also a certain type of person in the regime who came to power from the bush, who has little education and is violent," said a Chad-based diplomat.

DOMINATED BY VIOLENCE

Like Deby before them, several waves of Chadian officers have defected, joining various rebel groups based in the east. Hundreds of people have been killed in several bouts of fighting in the capital since the rebellions intensified in 2006.

"We are living in a society which is dominated by violence. We are in a society where the people who lead us have been moulded by autocratic, authoritarian regimes," said Michael Didama, secretary of Chad's private press editors association.

"Alkanto wants to teach soldiers that the army is meant to serve the nation and the people and should be on their side, rather than against them ... it is brave of him," he added.

In August 2007, confronted by a wave of rebel attacks, the government reached a political deal with opposition parties, but it has failed to deliver promised reforms and free elections.

Analysts blame much of the deterioration of governance and human rights on the fact that Chad is now less reliant on donors and more prone to insecurity since it started to pump oil in 2003.

"The financial windfall ... has increased corruption, stoked domestic dissent and led to rebellions supported by neighbouring Sudan," the think-tank International Crisis Group said in August.

"The revenues have also allowed President Idriss Deby to reject political dialogue with his opponents and to respond to the threat from Sudan by overarming his military forces."

Perhaps contrary to their reputation but aware of the following Alkanto has developed in local cine-clubs, Chad's authorities appear to respect rather than muzzle him.

Deby has made him an honorary colonel and Defence Minister Abdelkader Wadal praised Alkanto for having "contributed greatly to improvements in the army".

But even though the United Nations is supposed to be helping train some Chad soldiers, observers say there is resistance to reform from within the military and progress is painfully slow.

"Alkanto is having an impact," said Didama. "But we need lots more Alkanto for the impact to be bigger." (Additional reporting and writing by David Lewis; Editing by Jon Boyle)

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