PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL

Many residents fled the key Malian town of Kidal before Tuareg rebels seized control of it.

The refugees travelled for two days to reach Gao, a town still held by Malian military forces.

Some said they were robbed on the way.

As the separatist Tuareg rebels advanced towards new targets further south the leader of last week's coup in Mali appealed for foreign help to crush the uprising.

SOUNDBITE: CAPTAIN AMADOU SANOGO SAYING (French):

"The situation is critical at this moment in time. Our army needs the support of Mali's friends in order to save the civilian population and preserve the territorial integrity of the country."

The plea for help is unlikely to get much of a response.

The military coup in Mali has been internationally condemned

It was sparked by army anger that the government wasn't giving troops adequate weapons to fight the Tuareg rebels.

Instead the mutiny has emboldened the rebels who started fighting for an independent state in the north in January.

Paul Chapman, Reuters