A military tribunal in the Democratic Republic of Congo has sentenced 15 people to prison after finding them guilty of financing terrorism through illegal gold trade.

The tribunal on Thursday jailed 10 suspects for terms ranging between five and eight years and handed five others 10-year terms.

The court also acquitted nine defendants.

The defendants stood accused of facilitating the transfer of money obtained from the illicit sale of gold and precious stones to militant groups.

A spokesperson for the defendants' legal team denied the charges and told AFP news agency that they would appeal against the verdict.