A-Infos (en) Italy, FAI, Umanita Nova #10-26 - Between the landslide and the MUOS: liberate the territories! Niscemi, two months later and another war (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

In Niscemi, "the risk for the landslide as a whole remains high, and the 
phenomenon is expected to evolve further": this is the overall picture 
painted by site inspections and satellite data. The landslide, 
particularly its main slope bordering the town, is susceptible to 
further evolution. Comparing the 1997 landslide and the 1790 event, 
further evolution is possible, with the edge of the slope retreating by 
several dozen meters, especially in the event of further significant 
rainfall. This evolution could affect other buildings and further 
permanently compromise strategic road access.

The phenomenon that began last January is part of a long-term stability 
characterized by exceptionally large movements. In 1997, a deep 
landslide reactivated, directly preceding the landslide of January 26th. 
The events of January 2026 caused a landslide nearly five kilometers 
long along the edge of the town, with a volume of 80 million cubic 
meters of material. This was an exceptional landslide, which in its 
acute phase caused a slide that lasted an entire day, at a speed of one 
meter per hour.

The erosive processes at the base of the Niscemi hill, caused by water 
flowing from the town into the stream below, played a key role, combined 
with the contrast between the sand and clay.

The sewer system and aqueduct must be rapidly reorganized, wells drilled 
to extract water from the underground aquifers, drainage tunnels 
constructed, the torrential water networks upgraded, and naturalistic 
engineering interventions carried out. This is the minimum necessary to 
contain and stabilize the landslide and secure the slope.

Currently, no action is being taken in this direction, and no safety has 
been provided to the hundreds of Niscemi residents forced to abandon 
their homes, nor to the dozens of businesses forced to close. The plight 
of farmers whose agricultural fields were devastated by the landslide 
remains dire, resulting in the loss of both their seasonal harvest and 
their farms.

More than two months after the landslide began, the landslide has yet to 
stop, and while the consequences of the disaster are being mourned with 
open and bleeding wounds, Niscemi suddenly finds itself a sensitive 
military target due to the criminal attack by the United States and 
Israel on Iran.

To the southeast, a few kilometers from the town of Niscemi, lies not 
just a forest, but a true natural monument: the Sughereta Nature 
Reserve. It is the last great remnant of the ancient and majestic cork 
oak (Quercus suber) forests that once blanketed central and southern 
Sicily. Its extraordinary value is recognized at the European level as a 
Site of Community Interest. Eight kilometers away from the landslide, 
within the Sughereta di Niscemi Nature Reserve, the US MUOS base was 
built. Now, MUOS is also at risk of collapse. The landslide affecting 
MUOS is unrelated to the one affecting the town of Niscemi, although 
geologically similar. The collapse of MUOS would be good news. Were it 
not for the fact that even the slightest change in the trajectory of 
those dishes would pose a serious threat to human and non-human safety. 
If, hypothetically, the dishes were to suddenly lose stability and the 
electromagnetic beam, usually directed at satellites, were to fall onto 
the town or the adjacent Sughereta Nature Reserve, it is unclear what 
damage to health it would cause.

For at least three years, landslides have been affecting the North 
American MUOS satellite dishes, which provide communications to all US 
armed forces around the world (including those deployed in Iran). The 
Americans themselves have submitted extensive documentation to the 
Sicilian Region describing the presence of landslides around the MUOS 
base, outlining the causes and possible solutions to implement the 
necessary consolidation measures in the area. The documents provided by 
the Americans describe how the situation is already serious, both in the 
area of the three MUOS satellite dishes on the southern slope of the 
base and in the area where the other pre-existing antennas are located. 
The report highlights that "in the antenna area, one of the concrete 
plinths collapsed along with the ground, resulting in a loss of 
functionality and, partially, the conditions that ensure the stability 
of the antenna and safety in the area." For the MUOS apron, "landslides 
were detected in the soil beneath the apron, resulting in the 
displacement and loss of functionality of several curbs supporting the 
internal fence of the area." One of the causes is "accelerated erosion 
caused by the action of wild rainwater, which favors the formation of 
localized landslides and the consequent retreat of the ends. These 
landslides cause dangerous undermining at the foot of the slope, 
resulting in the formation of cliffs corresponding to the 
sandy-calcareous outcrops."

For these reasons, the United States government requested support from 
the Italian Ministry of Defense, which in turn contacted ISPRA. The 
Sigonella Public Works Department, which oversees the Niscemi base, 
submitted the request for an Environmental Impact Assessment to the 
Region on April 23, 2025. In July, the Technical Scientific Commission 
was consulted, which within two months acquired all the necessary 
authorizations and issued a favorable opinion. On September 15, 
Councilor for Territory Giusi Savarino declared the process closed 
favorably.

So, for the consolidation of a foreign military base, the bureaucratic 
and administrative machinery moved very quickly and within a few months 
approved the safeguard measures. The situation is quite different for 
the safety of civil engineering works and the homes of residents, which 
have not seen any intervention in almost thirty years.

Will the Civil Protection and the Sicilian Region now focus on people's 
safety, or will priority be given to the consolidation of the North 
American war base?

The radical incompatibility between the geological and hydrogeological 
fragility of the territory, the environmental value of the area, and the 
presence of a military infrastructure the size of the MUOS is evident.

The presence of the MUOS in Niscemi, at a time of acute war crisis 
between the US and Iran, further increases the dangers for the 
population. Communications supporting US wars pass through this area daily.

Niscemi, like any territory hosting strategic military infrastructure, 
automatically becomes a potential target in conflict.

The Sicilian territory is marked by Italian, NATO, and US military 
bases: Trapani-Birgi air base and future training site for the F-35, 
Pantelleria (Trapani) air base, Augusta (Sicily) and Messina naval 
bases, Sigonella (Catania) naval air base, and Niscemi MUOS.

Since February 28, Triton spy drones have been taking flight over the 
Sicilian skies. These warplanes, like the P8 Poseidon, have taken off 
from Sigonella to the Persian Gulf. Tritons are spy drones designed to 
identify targets and send real-time signals to other aircraft to 
coordinate attacks and precision bombing. The P8 Poseidon is an armed 
aircraft carrying anti-ship missiles and torpedoes. All of this is in 
clear violation of the Italy-US treaties. Modern technological warfare 
involves the MUOS (National Air and Space Observatory) in Niscemi, which 
remotely coordinates the bombing of Iran from military platforms even 
far from Italy. US bases on Sicilian soil are currently directly 
involved in the war with Iran.

On Saturday, March 14th and Sunday, March 15th, there were 
anti-militarist demonstrations against the use of the Birgi and 
Sigonella bases. On Saturday, March 28, a large demonstration in Niscemi 
called for the closure of the US MUOS base and the implementation of 
necessary interventions against the landslide that struck the town.

The March 28 demonstration in Niscemi is not just about one city or one 
military base. It concerns a much broader issue: the return of 
territories to popular sovereignty and the liberation of these places 
from permanent militarization. Niscemi, Sigonella, Sicily, and Italy 
cannot be platforms for war in the Mediterranean.

Our territories must be returned to the communities that inhabit them 
and must not be transformed into operational hubs of conflict between 
imperialist states. Economic resources must be spent on securing the 
territory and supporting the population affected by the environmental 
disaster.

Renato Franzitta

https://umanitanova.org/tra-frana-e-muos-liberare-i-territori-niscemi-dopo-due-mesi-e-dopo-unaltra-guerra/
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