The State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) has responded to reports that its offices in Banja Luka and Istocno Sarajevo received official orders from the Republika Srpska Ministry of the Interior (MUP RS) demanding that employees vacate the premises. SIPA denied claims that RS police officers had entered its facilities or attempted to seize control.

“In light of the current situation and media reports regarding the takeover of State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) premises by the Ministry of the Interior of Republika Srpska (MUP RS), we inform the public that MUP RS officers have not appeared at the premises of the Regional Office in Banja Luka. Work at the SIPA headquarters in Istocno Sarajevo continues without interruption,” the agency stated.

SIPA Director Darko Culum spoke to N1 about the security situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina saying that it remains stable and calm.

“The security situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is stable and calm and I state that with full responsibility. As for the Regional Office in Banja Luka, MUP RS officers have not come to the premises at all. Regarding the Agency's headquarters in Istocno Sarajevo, operations are running smoothly,” he said.

When asked what would happen if the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued an order for the arrest of Milorad Dodik, he responded that such questions are hypothetical and that he has no answer to them.

Earlier reports indicated that SIPA employees in Banja Luka were instructed to collect their personal belongings and vacate the premises following an order from MUP RS.

The situation remains tense following RS President Milorad Dodik’s recent moves to enforce entity laws that effectively ban state institutions such as SIPA, the BiH Court, and the BiH Prosecutor’s Office from operating in Republika Srpska. The legislation, published in the Official Gazette of RS, is currently under review by the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a decision on its legality still pending.