Sudan's military leader Abdel Fattah al Burhan has sacked his deputy and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in a symbolic gesture.

The two served as chairman and deputy of the ruling Sovereign Council respectively after a military coup in October 2021. But tensions between them erupted into an unprecedented battle in April for control of the resource-rich nation of more than 46 million people.

At least 705 people have been killed in the conflict, according to the World Health Organization.

In a decree on Friday, Gen Burhan appointed former rebel leader Malik Agar as his deputy to replace Dagalo. He directed the relevant authorities to immediately effect the decree.

The sacking is unlikely to affect the battlefield where the warring sides appear locked in a stalemate and unwilling to end the hostilities, the AP news agency reports.

Read more: A timeline of Sudan unrest since military coup that ousted Bashir