London: WikiLeaks has named one-time spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson as its new editor-in-chief but the ramifications of the move are unclear.

Kristinn Hrafnsson in 2015. Credit:AP

The organisation was founded and has been led for more than a decade by Julian Assange, the 47-year-old ex-hacker, but the silver-haired Australian has been isolated for years at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London.

WikiLeaks tweeted that Assange will stay on as the group's "publisher."

Assange had his communications cut in March by Ecuador's new president, and Wednesday's statement said he remained "incommunicado."