As Tuareg rebels in Africa struggle for recognition of their new Azawad state, the UN Security Council has expressed concern about the "terrorist threat" in northern Mali.

The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, whose declaration of independence for a state in the northern two-thirds of Mali has yet to receive any external recognition, says if the US and Saudi Arabia cannot yet find a solution to al-Qaeda threats, how can they be expected to.

Al Jazeera's Mohamed Vall reports exclusively from Timbuktu on the dual challenges of asserting sovereignty while fending off other armed groups facing those fighting for what they say is Azawadi independence.