GAROWE, Somalia Sep 18 (Garowe Online) - The president of Somalia' s Puntland State government has criticized government ministers in the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia, Radio Garowe reports.

Dr. Abdirahman Mohamed "Farole," the president of Puntland, said TFG ministers have signed agreements that violate the deal signed between Puntland and the TFG last month in Galkayo.

He told the BBC Somali Service during a Thursday interview that some TFG ministers are engaged in tarnishing Puntland's respectable image.

Puntland President Farole

"Piracy has decreased significantly, in part because my administration has taken strong steps to combat the pirates," President Farole said, while admitting that piracy has had a destructive impact on the Puntland regions, due to its long ungovernable coast.

He noted that the Galkayo Accord he signed with Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmake explicitly included a clause calling for the establishment of a Somali naval base in Puntland, a relatively stable region troubled by pirate attacks in recent years.

President Farole said the creation of a 600-strong marine force and eight coastal stations along Puntland's long coastline would help detect and prevent pirate attacks in the future.

Speaking about Galkayo, Puntland's leader said the city is now calm after many changes were made to the city leadership, with a new mayor and a new police commander.

He explained that Galkayo's problems are rooted partly in its geographic location as the crossroads between Puntland, south-central Somalia and Ethiopia's eastern Somali-inhabited regions.

Lastly, President Farole spoke about clan fighting in Bari region where rival militias have battled a number of times over control of a small village since 2008.

He noted that the Puntland government dispatched Interior Minister Gen. Abdullahi Ahmed "Ilkajir" to Bari region, backed by government troops, to intervene and successfully stop the bloodshed.

"The process to make peace between the two clans is almost over," President Farole said, but he openly criticized "former politicians and some businessmen" of funding and motivating the clan violence. "There is an ongoing investigation," he added.

Source: Garowe Online