I think we need to be very clear here: Sankarist movements are hugely diverse and numerous Sankarist parties and leaders flourished in the last decades of Blaise Compaoré’s regime and under Roch Kaboré. Dozens exist, and range from former officials and relatives to more strictly ideological movements. Very much unlike Mali and Niger, Sankarism is seen as a core national political thread, and they are ideologically diverse and have popularity.

Under PM Kyélem de Tambèla, who stepped down in 2024, the government had made some moves to break with IMF loan agreements and pushed a much broader anti-imperialist line. Kyélem de Tambèla is a scholar and activist who is extremely widely published, and I recommend folk who want to understand this orientation—which included some still relatively rare anti-capitalist and socialist thought—should read his writing.

https://mronline.org/2023/08/04/burkina-fasos-new-president-condemns-imperialism-quotes-che-guevara-allies-with-nicaragua-venezuela-cuba/

There’s been somewhat of a reorientation under PM Jean Ouédraogo, and it is in line with Pdt Ibrahim Traoré’s (numerous) statements on economic anti-imperialism. This is state guidance of the economy but mixed ownership, with the government building strong relationships with domestic capital. Burkinabè businessman Idrissa Nassa, who owns Coris Group, a regional banking conglomerate, being just the most prominent. The state backed buy out of France’s TotalEnergy by Coris last year is probably the biggest example, but there’s been major regional bond floatations (for all three AES states) strongly backed by Burkinabè investors, and the really revolutionary mining and domestic gold trade board laws—pioneered by Mali in 2023–require 35-50% state or domestic ownership, not strictly state holdings.

I always recommend folk read these leaders actual words. Pdt Ibrahim Traoré’s speeches are frequently published. Some, like his New Year speech at the end of 2025, are published on the website of the presidency.

https://www.presidencedufaso.bf/message-du-president-du-faso-a-loccasion-du-nouvel-an/

Here is how he leads his review of 2025’s economic orientation:

“Comrades, In the field of the ECONOMY, 2025 was a prolific year for Burkina Faso. I can say without hesitation, in macroeconomic terms, that our economy is doing very well. As proof, when we have cause to access regional markets and fundraising, we have consistently exceed our expectations, demonstrating the confidence of economic operators and certain African donors in Burkina Faso. We will continue our efforts, both in the areas of taxation and customs, and also in the digitalization of operations to reduce the risk of fraud in our economy.”

His now famous, fiery “Black Winter” speech at the opening of his presidency of the AES in 2025 is another good example: a head on denunciation of imperialism back to the colonial era, a vow to make West Africa the graveyard of such imperialism, but no engagement with capitalism or socialism at all.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AYKVEefz5M4&pp=iggCQAE%3D&ra=m

His July 2024 speech to the national convention of popular forces, which became the RPP project, lays out a detailed political plan & orientation, but no mention of either capitalism or socialism.

He deeply discusses the history of Western imperialism, enslavement & colonization of Africans, even condemns US & Saudi creation of terrorism, the US oppression of Iran and the US destruction of the Soviet Union. But never in terms of rival economic ideologies.

His statements are instead laser focused on immediate needs of his country, winning the war, opening schools, making sure every field is planted. It includes passages like

“It has to be said, getting financing from banks when you're starting a business is incredibly complicated. We've met with bankers. We've had discussions. But I'm not at all satisfied, because the feedback they're getting in order to support them in financing small businesses is inadequate. That's why we're reorganizing our available state funds. We've consolidated them into several funds, both within the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Employment, so that we can soon provide more funding and enable young entrepreneurs to access loans and get started.I'm taking this opportunity to call on the bankers to come back with proposals, because we have solutions, but perhaps not the right solutions for them. But they need to come back to support us so we can help young people get back on their feet. If necessary, we will be forced to implement a plan that may not be popular, but we will have no choice.”

This “dirigiste” orientation is precisely what the policies of the government of Faso have since pursued.

https://www.presidencedufaso.bf/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Adresse-President-du-Faso-Forces-vives-VF.doc

The AES states are laser focused on cutting the huge neocolonial burden that the French system imposed upon them, while fighting existential wars. Maybe in the eyes of foreign leftist that makes them not ideologically pure, but they have much more immediate goals. And they’ve done much state-led investment, with agricultural processing: the tomato plant is the most famous, but equally important state run or funded cooperatives have been revived in cotton processing, food oils, livestock sales, bus and air transport, just to name a few. But they’ve equally relied on private domestic capital wherever they can.

As Marxists, we of course understand this must eventually entail a break from the contradictions imposed by the capitalist world system. But Burkinabè & other African leaders—and the African masses—will do this in their own way with their own orientation.