Egypt’s military rebellion and Sudan’s Mahdist revolt rose simultaneously but remained uncoordinated

Evidence

In September of 1881, Uräbï Pasha's loyal officers staged a huge demonstration in front of Abdin Palace, the khedive’s residence in Cairo, in which all the regiments of the army were represented. Khedive Tawfïq discovered that Uräbï's popularity was even greater than he had estimated, and he was forced to listen to the new, expanded demands of the rebels. Uräbï assumed the powerful position of war minister. As Uräbï's rebellion gained power in Cairo and Alexandria, the Mahdï's popularity fanned eastward across the Sudan. But Uräbï and other ministers were preoccupied by their struggle with the khedive, even as telegraph after telegraph from increasingly desperate commanders communicated the spreading success of the Sudanese Mahdï. — Eve M. Troutt Powell, A Different Shade of Colonialism_…, 303