SANA, Yemen — A ballistic missile ripped through a military parade for a separatist group in southern Yemen backed by the United Arab Emirates, killing at least six troops and four children, a spokesman for the group said on Sunday.

The spokesman, Maged al-Shoebi, blamed Houthi rebels for the attack. The rebel group did not immediately comment.

The explosion took place at the end of a parade for new recruits to the separatist militia, known as the Resistance Forces, at a soccer field in the capital of Dhale Province, Mr. al-Shoebi said.

The group is part of the Southern Transitional Council, which seeks the return of the independent state that existed in southern Yemen until 1990.