Malians take matters into own hands as police vanish before vote In the central Malian town of Konna, the government pulled out the last police squad last year to deploy it in the most threatened parts of the region, which are gripped by a mix of jihadist violence and ethnic disputes. With the presidential election just a few weeks away, local officials are struggling to prepare for the polls, while the insecurity has pushed the population to take matters into their own hands.