People report that there had been a small Italian military presence there during World War II. The countryside around Tepi has long been multiethnic, including significant numbers of Majangir, Shekkacho, Sheko, Kafficho, and Oromo. Most of the city's residents (or their parents) are from other parts of Ethiopia, adding even more ethnic groups to the mix.Sarah Vaughan, "Ethnicity and Power in Ethiopia" (University of Edinburgh: Ph.D. Thesis, 2003), pp. 272ff In the 1980s, because of famine, many people from other provinces were resettled nearby. These acts have led to conflicts under ethnic federalism, since no ethnic group comprises a majority.
