US President Donald Trump has reaffirmed Washington’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, describing Morocco’s autonomy proposal as the only realistic path toward resolving the decades-long dispute.

The development comes as Spain continues to grapple with a massive migrant influx into its North African enclave of Ceuta, prompting emergency discussions across the European Union. The Western Sahara dispute remains one of North Africa’s most sensitive geopolitical issues, involving Morocco, the Polisario Front, Algeria, and international stakeholders.

Trump Reaffirms US Support for Morocco’s Western Sahara Claim | Spain Faces Migrant Crisis

The leader of the Western Sahara independence movement at the heart of a diplomatic spat between Spain and Morocco will appear before an investigating judge in Spain on June 1, representatives of the Polisario Front in Spain said Wednesday.

Brahim Ghali heads the Polisario Front and the self-declared Sahrawi Democratic Arab Republic based on refugee camps in western Algeria.

He has been recovering from COVID-19 in a Spanish hospital, where he checked in with a false identity after arriving in the country with a diplomatic Algerian passport.

His presence has irked Rabat, which annexed Western Sahara in the 1970s, and has been tied to the sudden arrival of more than 8,000 migrants&nbsp;many of them unaccompanied children&nbsp;to a Spanish enclave in northern Africa that shares a border with Morocco.

The Moroccan government has said that it won't reinstate its ambassador to Madrid if Ghali leaves Spain with the same secrecy used for his arrival in mid-April and without answering for genocide allegations and other possible crimes that anti-Polisario groups accuse him of.

Ghali&nbsp;had initially declined to sign a summons from Spain's High Court for a preliminary hearing in a war crimes case against him.

The leader was admitted into a hospital in Spain for treatment last month, angering Morocco, which regards Western Sahara as part of Morocco and says&nbsp;Ghali&nbsp;is using travel documents provided by Algeria and a false name.

Spain's foreign minister, Arancha Gonzalez Laya, said on Sunday that when&nbsp;Ghali&nbsp;has recovered from health problems, he should answer the case before he returns to his own country.

Last week, Morocco appeared to relax border controls with the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta, leading to thousands of people crossing illegally. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said earlier on Tuesday the country was failing to protect its borders.

Rabat blamed the crossings on the weather and tired border guards though analysts said it appeared to be linked to the diplomatic dispute with Madrid.

The leader of the Western Sahara independence movement at the heart of a diplomatic spat between Spain and Morocco will appear before an investigating judge in Spain on June 1, representatives of the Polisario Front in Spain said Wednesday.

The leader of the Western Sahara independence movement at the heart of a diplomatic spat between Spain and Morocco will appear before an investigating judge in Spain on June 1, representatives of the Polisario Front in Spain said Wednesday. Brahim Ghali heads the Polisario Front and the self-declared Sahrawi Democratic Arab Republic based on refugee camps in western Algeria. He has been recovering from COVID-19 in a Spanish hospital, where he checked in with a false identity after arriving in the country with a diplomatic Algerian passport. His presence has irked Rabat, which annexed Western Sahara in the 1970s, and has been tied to the sudden arrival of more than 8,000 migrants many of them unaccompanied children to a Spanish enclave in northern Africa that shares a border with Morocco. The Moroccan government has said that it won't reinstate its ambassador to Madrid if Ghali leaves Spain with the same secrecy used for his arrival in mid-April and without answering for genocide allegations and other possible crimes that anti-Polisario groups accuse him of. Ghali had initially declined to sign a summons from Spain's High Court for a preliminary hearing in a war crimes case against him. The leader was admitted into a hospital in Spain for treatment last month, angering Morocco, which regards Western Sahara as part of Morocco and says Ghali is using travel documents provided by Algeria and a false name. Spain's foreign minister, Arancha Gonzalez Laya, said on Sunday that when Ghali has recovered from health problems, he should answer the case before he returns to his own country. Last week, Morocco appeared to relax border controls with the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta, leading to thousands of people crossing illegally. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said earlier on Tuesday the country was failing to protect its borders. Rabat blamed the crossings on the weather and tired border guards though analysts said it appeared to be linked to the diplomatic dispute with Madrid.

Polisario Front independence movement leader Ghali to testify in Spain's High Court on June 1

Spain accused Morocco of "blackmail" on Thursday for allowing a record 8,000 migrants to reach the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta, sparking a crisis that saw clashes on the Moroccan side of the border overnight.

The dispute between Spain and Morocco comes during heightened tensions over Madrid's decision to provide medical treatment for the ailing leader of the Western Sahara independence movement, who has COVID-19.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said&nbsp;"Let's remember the border with Ceuta is not only the border between Morocco and Spain, but it is also a European border and consequently the lack of control, in this case, by the Moroccan authorities isn't only a lack of respect towards Spain but also towards the European Union as a whole."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/why-are-moroccans-trying-to-enter-europe-386370">Watch |</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/why-are-moroccans-trying-to-enter-europe-386370/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"We are proceeding with the immediate return of those who have entered illegally. About 4800 people have already been returned to Morocco after entering Ceuta illegally two days ago."

The rush of migrants began on Monday when Morocco appeared to loosen border controls, a move widely interpreted as retaliation for Spain's hosting of a Western Sahara independence leader.

As dense afternoon fog descended on Wednesday, hundreds of young men tried to approach the six-metre-high (20-foot-high) border fence before being repelled by Moroccan police, who later urged the crowd to disperse.

Others had entered the water and begun swimming towards&nbsp;Ceuta's beach a few hundred metres (yards) away. Spanish television showed the army meeting boys as they reached the shore. Some 1,500 underage migrants are now in reception centres in&nbsp;Ceuta&nbsp;from this and previous waves, Spain said.

On the northern tip of Morocco across from Gibraltar and with a population of 80,000, the enclave has periodically been a magnet for refugees seeking a quick way into Europe. But Rabat has cracked down on border traffic in recent years.

The variable security presence at the border reflects the paradox that Morocco faces in dealing with Ceuta and a second enclave, Melilla,&nbsp;zones its frontier guards protected from mass migration for years while simultaneously demanding that&nbsp;Spain&nbsp;give them up.

Morocco increased efforts to stop migrants reaching&nbsp;Spain&nbsp;in 2018 and, in return for cash assistance, cutting the number of illegal crossings.

Rabat views the enclaves, held by&nbsp;Spain&nbsp;since the 16th century, as colonial relics, though they are a lower priority than seeking global acceptance for its rule in Western Sahara, challenged by the Algeria-backed Polisario.

Ceuta, along with Spain's other North African enclave Melilla, have the European Union's only land border with Africa and have long been a magnet for migrants seeking a better life in Europe.

Spain has received the support of top European officials, with European Commission vice president Margaritis Schinas warning that Europe "won't let itself be intimidated by anyone on the issue of migration" in a veiled allusion to Morocco.

Rabat&nbsp;responded in the form of a flurry of angry dispatches&nbsp;saying that "Morocco is a sovereign country" and "is not the police of Europe".

Spain's High Court rejected a request to arrest Western Sahara's independence leader, whose admittance to a Spanish hospital last month angered Morocco, and comes after migrants crossed into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta.

Brahim&nbsp;Ghali&nbsp;is accused by rights groups of war crimes and must still go through a preliminary hearing, a court spokesman said, part of a wider diplomatic dispute over the Polisario Front, a separatist movement fighting for Western Sahara's independence from Morocco.

Western Sahara is a disputed territory held by Morocco since the mid-1970s. The Algeria-backed Polisario Front has been fighting to secure its independence since then. Before then, the territory was under Spanish control.

Spain agreed to allow&nbsp;Ghali's hospitalisation in Logrono, northern Spain, as a "humanitarian gesture".

Before this week's border crisis, Moroccan authorities had warned Spain of repercussions over&nbsp;Ghali's presence in Spain under a false Algerian passport and an assumed name.

Spain accused Morocco of "blackmail" on Thursday for allowing a record 8,000 migrants to reach the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta, sparking a crisis that saw clashes on the Moroccan side of the border overnight.

Spain accused Morocco of "blackmail" on Thursday for allowing a record 8,000 migrants to reach the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta, sparking a crisis that saw clashes on the Moroccan side of the border overnight. The dispute between Spain and Morocco comes during heightened tensions over Madrid's decision to provide medical treatment for the ailing leader of the Western Sahara independence movement, who has COVID-19. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said "Let's remember the border with Ceuta is not only the border between Morocco and Spain, but it is also a European border and consequently the lack of control, in this case, by the Moroccan authorities isn't only a lack of respect towards Spain but also towards the European Union as a whole." Watch | "We are proceeding with the immediate return of those who have entered illegally. About 4800 people have already been returned to Morocco after entering Ceuta illegally two days ago." The rush of migrants began on Monday when Morocco appeared to loosen border controls, a move widely interpreted as retaliation for Spain's hosting of a Western Sahara independence leader. As dense afternoon fog descended on Wednesday, hundreds of young men tried to approach the six-metre-high (20-foot-high) border fence before being repelled by Moroccan police, who later urged the crowd to disperse. Others had entered the water and begun swimming towards Ceuta's beach a few hundred metres (yards) away. Spanish television showed the army meeting boys as they reached the shore. Some 1,500 underage migrants are now in reception centres in Ceuta from this and previous waves, Spain said. On the northern tip of Morocco across from Gibraltar and with a population of 80,000, the enclave has periodically been a magnet for refugees seeking a quick way into Europe. But Rabat has cracked down on border traffic in recent years. The variable security presence at the border reflects the paradox that Morocco faces in dealing with Ceuta and a second enclave, Melilla, zones its frontier guards protected from mass migration for years while simultaneously demanding that Spain give them up. Morocco increased efforts to stop migrants reaching Spain in 2018 and, in return for cash assistance, cutting the number of illegal crossings. Rabat views the enclaves, held by Spain since the 16th century, as colonial relics, though they are a lower priority than seeking global acceptance for its rule in Western Sahara, challenged by the Algeria-backed Polisario. Ceuta, along with Spain's other North African enclave Melilla, have the European Union's only land border with Africa and have long been a magnet for migrants seeking a better life in Europe. Spain has received the support of top European officials, with European Commission vice president Margaritis Schinas warning that Europe "won't let itself be intimidated by anyone on the issue of migration" in a veiled allusion to Morocco. Rabat responded in the form of a flurry of angry dispatches saying that "Morocco is a sovereign country" and "is not the police of Europe". Spain's High Court rejected a request to arrest Western Sahara's independence leader, whose admittance to a Spanish hospital last month angered Morocco, and comes after migrants crossed into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta. Brahim Ghali is accused by rights groups of war crimes and must still go through a preliminary hearing, a court spokesman said, part of a wider diplomatic dispute over the Polisario Front, a separatist movement fighting for Western Sahara's independence from Morocco. Western Sahara is a disputed territory held by Morocco since the mid-1970s. The Algeria-backed Polisario Front has been fighting to secure its independence since then. Before then, the territory was under Spanish control. Spain agreed to allow Ghali's hospitalisation in Logrono, northern Spain, as a "humanitarian gesture". Before this week's border crisis, Moroccan authorities had warned Spain of repercussions over Ghali's presence in Spain under a false Algerian passport and an assumed name.

'Lack of respect': Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez slams Morocco over migrant crisis

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Trump Reaffirms US Support for Morocco’s Western Sahara Claim | Spain Faces Migrant Crisis

Polisario Front independence movement leader Ghali to testify in Spain's High Court on June 1

'Lack of respect': Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez slams Morocco over migrant crisis