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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Link: (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]
Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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