Twenty-one people were killed and another 117 wounded in the Mogadishu hotel attack, Somalia's health minister said on Sunday.

Somali Police Commander Abdi Hajar announced earlier the end of the siege at the Hayat Hotel attack by al-Shabab in Mogadishu, adding that 106 people were rescued.

Around midnight on Saturday, a security commander of the Somali forces told AFP News Agency that a deadly siege by al-Qaeda-linked militants at a hotel in the capital Mogadishu that lasted about 30 hours had ended.

"The security forces have ended the siege now and the gunmen are dead, we've had no incoming gunfire from the building in the past hour," the commander said.

The building still needed to be cleared of any explosives that may have been planted, he added.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack and said in a statement that he supported the people of Somalia "in their fight against terrorism and their march towards peace."

James Swan, the UN secretary-general's special representative for Somalia, on Sunday also called for lasting support for the victims in Somalia.

"The UN stands in solidarity with all Somali victims and survivors of terrorism as they heal from their trauma, along with their families and communities," Swan said in a statement issued in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, to mark the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.

He said the voices of survivors must be heard and acknowledged, and their rights upheld, noting that the weekend's terrorist violence in Mogadishu is a stark reminder of just how vital this is.

(With input from agencies)

(Cover: Security forces patrol near the Hayat Hotel after an attack by al-Shabaab fighters in Mogadishu, Somalia, August 20, 2022. /CFP)