Obama ‘aware’ of rising tensions after Maduro sparked invasion fears by ordering teams to drill in contested area

• Nicolas Maduro on Sunday held a referendum asking Venezuelans whether they wanted neighboring Guyana Esequiba, disputed for 100 years, to be theirs
• Maduro said 95 percent of Venezuelans were in favor of Caracas taking control of the Guyanese land, about the size of Florida and rich in minerals
• On Tuesday evening Maduro unveiled a new map showing the territory incorporated into Venezuela, and dispatched a general to the border

President Obama and his Biden administration are monitoring the situation in Venezuela and warning against any violence after the Maduro regime has made moves toward annexation of territory while neighboring Guyana pleas for political support.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby spoke about the increasingly tense situation at the White House Wednesday after a referendum in Venezuela for annexing potentially oil rich territory from neighboring Guyana, a neighboring South American Country on the Caribbean.

‘It’s concerning. We’re watching this very, very closely as I said, I think last week,’ Kirby said.

‘The arbitral decision needs to be respected. We obviously don’t want to see any violence occur here or conflict occur. And we’re obviously in touch with all our partners,’ he added.

Kirby was referencing a more than 100 year old agreement establishing the territorial line between the two nations.