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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.
