But in a remarkable tale that has touched the hearts of many Spaniards - no-one knows quite how she managed to get there.

Four-year-old Clarice was alone and crying when she was found by a border guard by the side of a high fence on the border between the Spanish enclave of Ceuta and Morocco.

Fled homeland

She was carrying a piece of paper with her name, country and her father's phone number in the Spanish northern city of Gijon.

Her father, Moubiala Kipupa, has been living in Spain for two years. He fled his homeland after the fall of the former president, Mobuto Sese Seko.

He was not involved in politics but used to play in a band which entertained the former dictator. That was enough for him to fear for his life under the new leader, Laurent Kabila.

Mr Kipupa left behind his wife and three children and settled in Gijon, training to become a welder.

He sent a letter home but was unable to include any money. But he told the BBC that he never expected it would lead to the arrival of his youngest daughter.

Desperate

Little Clarice's father says he is now keen to discover who escorted her on the long journey across Africa and is anxious to contact the girl's mother and his other two children.

The BBC's correspondent in Madrid says the story has touched the hearts of many Spaniards in a country trying to come to terms with the increasing numbers of illegal immigrants.

Every day, desperate young men and women from all over Africa try to break through the border fences, which get higher and more difficult to cross every day.

But the border guards said they have never come across anyone quite like four-year old Clarice.