A Tanzanian court has sentenced two Burundian refugees to 20 years in jail for possession of elephant tusks.

The two men - Stephano Jonas, 22, and Franko Hamisi, 18 - were arrested on May 15 at the Katumba refugee camp in Katavi region following a tip-off that enabled authorities from a nearby national park to nab the suspects.

They tusks were found hidden under a bed in a house belonging to one Jackson Erasto.

The accused said during their defence that the tusks were not theirs but belonged to Mr Erasto who had commissioned them to send the trophies to a customer in the port city of Dar es Salaam.

The prosecution had called seven witnesses to support their case while the accused defended themselves.

The Mpanda District Court said that the prosecution has proved its case beyond all reasonable doubt.

After the sentence was handed down, Mr Jonas pleaded for a more lenient sentence saying his mother and three siblings solely depended on him.