In the drift to war with Iraq, the tremendous problems of Africa have been forgotten by Western politicians, says the Rt Revd Michael Scott-Joynt, the Bishop of Winchester.

Speaking about his trip to Africa late last year and repeating comments he made at the Winchester peace walk, he said: "Where is the connection between this war and the Government's proper commitment to give priority to Africa and then to the rest of the majority of the world that is becoming ever poorer?"

The effects of the Iraq war were likely to be long-lasting, the bishop suggested. "Remember Afghanistan; remember the Congo after decades of war in each," he said.

Winchester Anglican diocese has a range of partnerships with the dioceses in Uganda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda since the late Bishop John Taylor's time. Bishop Scott-Joynt's visit to the DRC lasted three weeks, involving a lot of flying and road travel.The main purpose was to give a retreat for the Congo bishops before they elected a new archbishop.

He found though, that there were extra, unexpected benefits: the scores of people he spoke to were delighted that someone from outside Africa had visited them; they spoke at length about the terrible lives they had to lead under threat of attack and oppression; and their difficult lives helped the bishop see faith from a different perspective.

The bishop was accompanied by the Revd Jeremy Pemberton, who speaks excellent Swahili and French. They visited Goma, on the DRC's eastern border. Rwanda is a couple of kilometres to the east and Congo, Rwanda and Uganda meet 50 kilometres to the north.

"There was a huge and infamous refugee camp all around the town after the genocide in Rwanda in 1994," he said. "And, just over a year ago, the volcano that looms over Goma erupted again, this time sending two streams of lava, each two or three metres deep and up to 40 metres wide through the town and into the lake.

"The people we met told us how the church had struggled not to run away but to be faithful, in the time of the refugee camp and how terrifying all that had been; how the whole areas was still full of refugees and of deserters or soldiers from this force or that and how people everywhere lived in fear of them; they told of Rwandans extracting minerals and exacting forced labour and women as well as food.

"They told us of the terror of the night the volcano erupted...and they told us how God had drawn the church together and sustained - and enlarged - them through it all; about the Scouts who had found and restored lost people to each other; the Mothers' Union organising what food could be found and temporary homes; about the money from the Church Missionary Society and the Congo Church Association that meant the rest of the church cared."

The union had sought out girls and women in danger of being expelled from their families after being raped - and there were young people who persuaded their own generation that they did not have to go with the soldiers.

The bishop reflected: "I found that our partner dioceses, in this case, those in the Congo, offer us so much assistance, because their faithfulness puts this question to us: "Is your Christian faith just one element, one interest among many? Or is it the governing factor for you, will you allow Jesus to be Lord over every part and moment of your life, your political thinking, your money?"

Bishop Scott-Joynt brought back many photographs of his meetings with clergy and people on the Congo. "They look happy but you can't have photographs of what people say. They had a Christian joy and hard-won resilience and self respect means they present themselves well, but when they are with you they say what life is really like".

Asked what he thought his visit meant to the Africans, Bishop Scott-Joynt said: "We brought the reassurance that there are people outside who bother about them, that they are part of the church and Anglican communion worldwide. They said: 'We never thought we would have a visitor, we never thought anyone from outside would come'."

The bishop hopes to trigger a debate on the DRC in the House of Lords soon.