Abou Zeid death was confirmed by French authorities last month in Mali. However a new replacement has been announced on Sunday, by an Algerian militant according to reports.

Djamel Okacha has been appointed as the new commander of al Qaeda on the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, replacing Zeid.

Okacha, 34, a close aide to Abdelmalek Droukdel, the secretive leader of AQIM, believed to be living in southern Algeria according to AFP.

Algerian Ennahar TV head Mohamed Mokkedem said Okacha is the "real leader" of AQIM, he is to take charge over the group's operations in southern Algeria and northern Mali.

Zeid death was confirmed by France authorities on Saturday that he was killed in operations in February.

"The president of the French Republic confirms with certainty the death of Abdelhamid Abou Zeid after an offensive by the French army in the Adrar des Ifoghas," the French presidential office told Reuters.

"The elimination of one of the main leaders of AQIM marks an important stage in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel," the French presidential office said, according to AFP.

However it's shown over time that jihadists can overcome the death of individual warlords, as even French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drain said that eliminating leaders "doesn't solve everything."

"It's the entire structure that has to be put down and not this or that leader," he said in an interview with Le Monde earlier this month.

Zeid has been linked to execution of British hostage Edwin Dyer in 2009 and killing of French national Michel Germaneau in 2010, according to BBC. He was believed to be the most brutal of top jihadist leaders in Mali and to have overseen smuggling networks throughout northern Africa.