Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Second Congo War

Second Congo War
Originally nominated as Congo Civil War, now a disambiguation page

This is my first nomination for a featured article (so forgive me please if I break some sort of protocol or do anything wrong). After reading Congo Civil War I was struck by how well it seemed to be done. I thought that by submitting it to this process it would be given the broader readerships that it probably deserved. I did zero work on this article. Kevin Rector 15:29, Dec 9, 2004 (UTC)
 * Definitely not out of line, don't worry, and yes it is a great article. I was sure to have seen it here before, and found the previous nomination in the archive. When nominating an article it's always a good idea to check for previous nominations and check if the objections listed back then have been worked on. -- [[User:Solitude|Solitude\talk]] 21:29, Dec 9, 2004 (UTC)
 * "When nominating an article it's always a good idea to check for previous nominations and check if the objections listed back then have been worked on." See now, that's good advice. I went and added it to Template:FAC-instructions but it got ripped out quite quickly. Between that and Mirv's edit summary on Featured article candidates when he fixed my first timer's faux pas (I added it to the bottom instead of the top of the list) this will most likely be my last FAC nomination. Kevin Rector 01:21, Dec 10, 2004 (UTC)
 * Oeff, please do not be too easily offended by edit summaries, I'm sure Mirv meant no disrespect, we all make mistakes (that even sounds too grave) especially when first arriving. I agree that the "previous nomination check" should be listed in the template, but if enough other people disagree we might as well keep it like this. -- [[User:Solitude|Solitude\talk]] 11:16, Dec 10, 2004 (UTC)
 * Thanks to everyone who has given me kind words. Yesterday I was having quite a bad day, with significant amounts of very stressful work due. So I took a break and turned to the Wikipedia as I often do. I read the Congo Civil War article and thought is was so good that I wanted to find a way to recognize the people who had worked on it. So I found my way here and nominated it. I agree that Mirv probably didn't mean any disrespect, and everyone makes mistakes, and I'm not holding a grudge (for all I know he was having a bad day himself). Anyway, weigh in with your opinion on adding the bits about looking for past versions at Template talk:FAC-instructions where I've put in my suggestions. Kevin Rector 15:29, Dec 10, 2004 (UTC)


 * How about some references? Support, though. I'm pleased to see the inclusion of a map roughly outlining the extent of territory held by the factions, which I suggested during the last FAC nomination. Everyking 15:49, 11 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * Object. Needs references.  Otherwise pretty well done. Don't worry about harsh comments people make, just take them for what they are worth and try to improve articles the best you can. - Taxman 17:14, Dec 11, 2004 (UTC)


 * Comment After much discussion on Talk:Congo Civil War revolving around the 1960, 1996 and 1998 Congo conflicts, I have stuck my neck out and volunteered to move Congo Civil War to Second Congo War, as part of what promises to be messy and tedious split.  Congo Civil War will then become disambiguation, and the content on the 1996 conflict will be moved to First Congo War.  This seems to be consensus, unless I hear an objection soon.  The reasons for the move include: the 1996 war being vastly overshadowed in the article despite its importance; making the article a little easier to follow by putting at least one "and then everyone switched sides again"-type moment on another page and limiting mention of the shorter lived armed groups to one article or the other; and the fact that these are actually the names used to refer to the separate conflicts.  Please feel free to comment or object on the CCR talk page and thanks to everyone who has said nice things and offered constructive criticism on the article as it stands now.
 * Also, in response to the helpful comments here I have made a reference section to which I have added the one book (that I am aware of) specifically dealing with the recent Congo conflict, as well as two other books that are useful. Almost all of the decent information and analyses are coming out of news articles and reports by humanitarian and human rights NGOs, think-tanks, etc, which I feel are well covered in the External Links section.  BanyanTree 22:17, 11 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * But if the external links are used to contribute or support specific material in the article, they should be cited properly as references, just like a print resource. Best would be to include links to primary material from the humanitarian organizations, etc that support the given claims. - Taxman 00:02, Dec 13, 2004 (UTC)
 * Point taken. Somebody else has already pointed out that I misunderstood "References" to mean something like the "References Cited" in a paper rather than the external links that look like endnote numbers.  I'm still learning... BanyanTree 00:19, 13 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * Well it is like that. But if a topic has no available published literature, then we need to use the best available resources to confirm the facts in the article.  No apologies needed, just keep learning and we will be all set. - Taxman 18:30, Dec 13, 2004 (UTC)
 * Refer to peer review. What article are you nominating now? I see no references in Second Congo War, only external links and further reading. My concern is that the material is shifting too much now for it so be a featured article.  I suggest a move to peer review for a couple weeks or enough time to really iron out the changes properly. - Taxman 18:30, Dec 13, 2004 (UTC)