'Untouchables' caught in crossfire

A marginalized ethnic group in Yemen faces even more hardship as the country's civil war continues unabated

They are Yemen's untouchables.

They call themselves the Muhammasheen, which translates to "the marginalized," a dark-skinned ethnic group that for centuries has been consigned to the bottom of Yemen's social scale, faced with discrimination and racism, shunned by others. They live in shantytowns on the outskirts of cities, are often refused schooling and work menial jobs like shoe-shining or street cleaning or turn to begging. Other Yemenis have traditionally called them akhdam or servants.