RESUMEN: Lo político ha sido definido a partir del reconocimiento del enemigo público con quien se hace la guerra y, también, la paz. Este último difiere del enemigo absoluto, a quien puede matársele por fuera del derecho sin ninguna concesión ni privilegio. Este artículo analiza el proceso de degradación que ha sufrido el enemigo político en Colombia hacia formas absolutas y privadas de enemistad, a partir de la teoría jurídico-política de Carl Schmitt y de los discursos de los actores armados colombianos sobre la construcción del enemigo:ABSTRACT: The political has been defined from the recognition of the public enemy with whom war is waged and, also, peace. The Public Enemy as a precondition to politics is different from the Absolute Enemy, who can be killed outside the law, without any concession or privilege. This article reviews the degradation of the political enemy into the absolute and private enemy, as well as the process of degradation that looms over the life of the political opposition in Colombia. To do this we will use the legal-political theory of Carl Schmitt and the discourses produced by the armed groups in Colombia: Military Forces, Revolutionary Armed Forces and United Self-Defense Forces between 1998 and 2009.Keywords: Public Enemy, Absolute Enemy, State, —Revolutionary Armed Forces— FARC, Self-Defense Forces of Colombia —AUC—.COL0017119