How did Abd Allah secure his authority after Muhammad Ahmad al-Mahdi died?

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Following the sudden death of the Mahdi in June 1885, his successor, the Khalīfah ʿAbd Allāh, faced a precarious political situation among competing factions within the Mahdist state. To secure his authority, he took the following actions:

Neutralized internal opposition: He successfully frustrated a conspiracy organized by the Mahdi’s relatives.1
Disarmed rivals: He disarmed the personal retinues of his leading political rivals in Omdurman, the Mahdist capital.1

By curtailing these immediate threats to his rule, ʿAbd Allāh was able to consolidate his position and continue the Mahdist state's expansionist policies.1