Tribal leaders said the dead were all supporters or fighters of a Zaidi Shiite rebel group which has been observing an uneasy truce with the government since February.
The bomber struck in Al-Jawf province, a rebel stronghold in the far north, as the faithful were preparing to mark Al-Ghadeer, the day on which Shiites commemorate the anointing of Ali, one of the key figures of their faith, as successor to the Prophet Mohammed.
“It was a suicide bombing and it was the work of al-Qaeda,” the tribal chief said.
“The suicide bomber driving a four-wheel drive vehicle blew himself up alongside the procession,” he said.
Yemen is the ancestral homeland of Osama bin Laden and has been a growing focus for the operations of his jihadist network, sparking a sharp increase in US military aid.
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